


Power Struggle

by RowanandKatrina



Series: Powers Saga [3]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2019-10-12 06:39:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 40,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17462501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RowanandKatrina/pseuds/RowanandKatrina
Summary: It's the equivalent of the 1950s in the Korra-verse. General Iroh is becoming Firelord Iroh. Bolin has a kid who makes things explode. And bending has become more diverse and dangerous than ever.





	1. Rina

Rina's school was pretty diverse. Especially if you considered the location. The Grand Council of Firebenders sat right in the center of Sunport. And the city itself sat only a few miles from the massive--albeit dormant--volcano said to be the home of an ancient dragon.

No one was saying other benders couldn't live here. It was more a question of why would they when the place could easily change its name to Flamey Hot Fire Town. Even the local cuisine turned up the heat.

Still, Rina's school had a decent amount of waterbenders, and almost equal amounts of earthbenders, firebenders, and students with no powers at all.

Then there was Rina. The bloodbender. Not that anyone in school knew that. If they did... well, Rina wasn't sure what would happen, exactly, but she knew it wouldn't be good. She'd done her research thoroughly when she'd discovered her powers. Bloodbending was not illegal in Sunport as it was in other places. For some strange reason, Firelord Izumi had been adamantly against such a law, even when all others pressured her to fall into line. The legal lenience didn't lessen anyone's fear of bloodbenders, though. If anything, it made the whole thing worse. People found to be bloodbending were isolated from society -- kicked out of schools, unable to find jobs, sent to juvenile detention for no clear reason, if they were young enough. Rina heard that many of them had committed petty crimes just so they could get themselves hauled off to jail instead of living on the streets. She believed it, too. Which was why she had to be so careful not to let her own bloodbending show.

It was lunchtime, and after a particularly difficult math class, Rina had decided to carry her tray of fire wings and grilled zucchini out in the isolated hallway behind the cafeteria. She stabbed at a piece of the vegetable and tried dipping it in the hot sauce, hoping that would help the flavor.

Some days, the stress of hiding drove her mad. She'd get angry at everyone around her -- her friends, her teachers. She got especially irritated at her parents on the bad days, figuring one of them had to be responsible for her inheriting this power. She wished she knew which one to direct the anger at. Once upon a time, everyone said it was an absolute fact that bloodbending had its origins in waterbending. But in the past decade or so, things had changed. So many new bloodbenders had appeared in Sunport. And fire was generally associated with energy and life. So maybe, some people theorized, it was a sign that bloodbending's true origins lay in the flames. The one or two airbenders that attended school said they didn't really care where it was from, only that it definitely was not from their lineage.

"Hey, loser!" a voice called from down the hall. Rina froze. No, she did not have the mental stamina for this right now. This hallway was supposed to be her sanctuary.

The guy at the end of the hallway didn't seem to agree with her. "Lunch is inside," he said, jerking his head towards the cafeteria. His bangs were long and dyed a bold pumpkin orange. What are you doing eating out here like some weird..." He seemed to struggle for the right word. "...badger? Or... _mole_?" He sounded proud of himself for figuring it out.

"I just felt like being alone, okay?" she snapped. She tried some deep breathing. She'd been reading a very popular meditation book by some old monk whose name she forgot. Unfortunately, the techniques never seemed to work when Rina needed them. She stood up, grasping her tray. Easiest thing to do was just walk back to the cafeteria. Diffuse the situation. Not let herself get worked up. She started down the hallway, hands gripping the tray like a lifeline, taking careful steps as she stared at her food. Bad idea. A second too late, she noticed Pumpkin-head had stuck his foot out in front of her. Her leg got caught. Her power reacted just as she expected it would. As she put out her arm to steady herself, the guy's leg pulled back out of her way. When she looked up, she saw he had gone pale.

"Wh-what? How did you do that?" he demanded. She felt a buzz of fear and panic washing over her. Calm. She had to stay calm.

"Do what?" she said, like it was the stupidest question she'd heard in her life. "I didn't do anything."

"Yes, you did!" Pumpkin-head cried out. "You made my leg move, didn't you?" He pointed accusingly at her. "You're a bloodbender, aren't you?"

"Oh, please," said another voice down the hallway. Rina felt a strong urge to just throw the tray down and run. Her supposed sanctuary was getting way too crowded. She glanced around Pumpkin-head to see who had invaded her space now, and let out an audible gasp.

"Kaja!" she exclaimed. It felt weird to say. Like she was being rude if she didn't add "sir" onto the end of his name. Normally, the wealthy aristocrat had private tutors schooling him at home. But ever since Firelord Izumi had announced her intention to step down within the next few years, her grandchildren had been spending more and more time among the commonfolk. Kaja more than anyone else.

He flashed her a superhero-esque smile and turned on Pumpkin-head. "You're the one who moved your leg. Why don't you quit babbling about stuff you don't understand and leave this young lady be?"

 _"This young lady"?_ Rina lowered her head, trying not to laugh. She sure wasn't one to complain about being defended, even if Kaja sounded a little ridiculous while he was doing it.

"You think you can boss me around?" Pumpkin-head demanded.

Kaja crossed his arms. "Hmm, let's see. I'm two grades above you, you're clearly in the wrong here, and my father is next in line to lead pretty much every Fire Nationer in the world. Yeah, I think I can you boss you around."

The guy he was talking to growled like an angry bear. "You would take her side, wouldn't you? Your whole stupid family just loves bloodbenders, don't you?"

Rina's eyes widened in surprise at the guy's gall. So did Kaja's, for that matter, but he kept himself calm. "I don't talk politics at school," he said.

Pumpkin-head was gaining more confidence now. "Yeah, I bet you don't. You know, everyone thinks your dad is going to be the worst Firelord ever. Even worse than your stupid powerless grandma."

Rather than getting worked up over this comments, Kaja straightened and smiled over it. "Thank you for the feedback. What did you say your name was, again? I'd be happy to pass your comments onto my grandmother personally."

Pumpkin-head's aggressive stance fell; his face went instantly pale. "N-no, that's all right. I mean, I wasn't talking about my opinion personally, you know. I was just saying... y'know, that I've heard other people say stuff like that."

"Ah, okay. My mistake then." Kaja waved him away like... well, like a prince dismissing a commoner. Pumpkin-head couldn't sprint away from the hallway fast enough. It felt good to see him finally leave, but Rina couldn't sake the ill feeling in her stomach. If he started a rumor that she could use bloodbending...

"Don't worry," Kaja said. "I think he'll keep his mouth shut. And if he doesn't, a couple fireballs in his locker might change is attitude."

"Yeah, thanks," Rina said. She slumped back down onto the floor, placing her tray next to her. She expected Kaja to strut away with some cheesy one-liner like, "All in a day's work." Instead, he said down next her, pulling one knee up to his chest and leaning his elbow on it.

"So?" he asked, looking her over. "Are you?"

"Huh?" Rina shoved a forkful of zucchini in her mouth. By now, it was both bland and cold. "Am I what?"

"Oh, come on," Kaja said. "Are you a bloodbender?"

She swallowed hard. "You just said--"

"I just said stuff to make that jerk go away. But you and I both know he had every intention of keeping his leg there. Probably wanted to yank it backwards to make you fall even harder."

Rina hugged herself. She couldn't think of any good explanation to get herself out of this. Panic was threatening to overtake her. And when stuff like that happened... that was when her powers acted even less out of her control. She felt dizzy, desperate for escape.

"Look, I know you're scared," came Kaja's voice, calm but stern. "But I know someone who can help you get it under control. I promise, you're not in trouble."

Rina's hands shook, but she forced herself to answer. "If I'm not in trouble, why do bloodbenders get kicked out of school?"

"They don't," Kaja said.

She rolled her eyes.

"Well, they're not supposed to, at any rate. That's discrimination."

"No kidding." She'd decided she'd had enough of lunch and snatched up her tray, dumping the remainder of its contents into a large trashcan just outside the cafeteria. She needed to get out of here.

"Come on, will you just hear me out?" Kaja asked. She cringed. There was no one else around them now, but if anyone wandered out here and heard him begging her to listen, she'd have way more explaining to do than she could handle.

"Fine." She plopped the now-empty tray onto the top of the trash can. "What is it?"

"I... just... I know someone who can help you control your powers. Do you want help or not?"

 _Control my powers?_ Now there was the last question Rina expected to be asked. She didn't actually know the right answer to it, either. If she said "yes", that would be admitting what she could do. But if she said "no", would that be turning her nose up at one of the only chances she'd ever had to get help?

"What can you do for me?" she asked simply.

Kaja smiled. "I'm going to take you to meet someone who, trust me on this, is way better at this power than you."

Rina was pretty sure she didn't believe a word of what Kaja was saying. Then again, no one really said no to him, either. That afternoon, as soon as school let out, she went along with Kaja to see where he would lead her. His directions took her straight to the Fire Nation palace. She'd seen the place before, on field trips and the like, but Kaja didn't exactly go in the tourist route. Instead, he led her around through the gardens and behind a terrace covered in vines. There he revealed a door that led into some kind of basement. Rina had to admit, for once in her life, she was a bit glad to have her bloodbending. If this guy tried anything weird, she would throw him on the ground and make a run for it.

Just as Kaja closed the door behind him, lights flooded into the basement floor. It wasn't dank or moldy as she suspected, but every bit as high-end and elaborate as she imagined the rooms upstairs. The floor was made out like a gym -- wooden and smooth. But there didn't seem to be any equipment in the room. Then a woman approached them. Rina didn't recognize her at first, dressed as she was in commoner clothing. The only time she'd ever seen her was when she was wearing the Firelord robes.

 _Firelord Izumi?_ Rina felt her heart sink into her stomach. So Kaja had just brought her here to get her in trouble. How could she have been so stupid? She whirled around to face him. "You took me to your grandmother? You just said you wouldn't--"

"Calm down!" Kaja held up his hands. "I just said I'd take you to someone who's way better at this than you are." He could see the confusion etched in Rina's face, and he seemed to relish it. He extended his hands dramatically towards his grandmother. "Ta-da! Here she is!"

Izumi narrowed her eyes. "Kaja," she said, as stern as Rina had ever heard her in the media. "I've asked you before not to do that."

It was a tone that probably would have terrified a normal citizen. But apparently Kaja had heard it enough times that he no longer took it as an actual threat.

"Aw, come on," he said. "It's so cool when they figure it out." He imitated someone's eyes going wide, then pretended to be tipping backwards from the shock.

"That's enough, young man!" Izumi snapped. This, it seemed, was an order to take seriously. Kaja straightened up and didn't say anything else. Rina stared between the two, unsure who to approach first. She decided Firelord Izumi looked more trustworthy.

"So, he's not making it up?" she asked, looking up at the tall, elderly woman. "You... really are a bloodbender?"

Izumi knelt down so that she and Rina were on eye level. "I really am," she said. "But if you don't believe me, feel free to try your bloodbending against me."

Kaja looked excited at this suggestion, but Rina shook her head wildly. Kaja's shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"Aw, show her some fly--" Izumi narrowed her eyes at him, and he closed his mouth mid-sentence.

"Show me... what?" Rina asked, pretty sure of what she'd heard, but not able to make any sense of it. "Did he say 'fly'? You can fly with bloodbending?"

"With enough focus, yes. But it's not safe to try until you've had sufficient practice. Kaja knows this." She glared at her grandson once more, and he shuffled off to a corner of the gym. And for some reason, at that moment, Rina felt safer here than she'd ever felt in a long time.


	2. Dreams and Explosions

_Eight years later..._

In real life, Mica was in class. In her mind, she was speeding well over 100 miles per hour on her motorcycle, cutting off a pair of crooks, complete with black and white striped jailbird getups. Oh, sure, they'd try to get away. But one taste of her expert driving paired with the sting of her explosive bending, and they'd be--

"Mica!" The sound of Mrs. Bat's harping old-lady voice sent the theoretical motorcycle in her head careening off the highway and into an oil tanker causing the entire thing to explode into fiery rubble.

Mica jerked to attention, blinking away the last of the dancing flames. Outside the window the rumbling engine of a motorcycle faded into the distance. "What now?"

Mrs. Bat was not amused. As usual. Not that the woman actually had a sense of humor that Mica knew of. That would be the day.

"Pay attention!" She cleared her throat and went back to her lecture, chalk-screeching notes across the blackboard in her terrible handwriting. Her header read: "On the Origins of Firebending."

"Firebending is one of the oldest forms of bending in existence. The Sun Warriors were a tribal people believed to have learned and honed their great skill by communing with the dragons themselves."

_Sun Warriors._ Mica rolled her duel-colored eyes. Just another of the many fun Fire Nation related lessons Mrs. Bat had thrown together. All in celebration of the great title of Firelord passing from Izumi to her silver-spoon-fed son. Like anything the royal family did was really Mica's concern. They'd be ruling half a world away for crying out loud. And even if that wasn't the case she was an actress, not a politician.

_An actress who has a casting announcement to get to._

She suppressed a nervous flutter and glanced at the clock. Five minutes till three. Seriously, why was she still talking? Just her luck. The first day back at school, and her last period teacher was the only one trying to do more then just take role and go over goals for the year.

Mica yawned, a bit too obviously.

"Am I boring you, Mica?"

Yep. Good old Mrs. Batty and her public humiliation tactic. Well, two could play at that game. Mica leaned back in her chair and dug at an annoying itch in her ear with her finger. "Yeah, actually you kinda are."

The classroom erupted with giggles making Mrs. Bat's face flush.

Stubborn old lady never did learn. Her humiliation tactics didn't work on Mica. To be humiliated in front of friends, one had to A) have friends and B) actually give a crap what they thought.

Mrs. Bat huffed. "Well then, perhaps you'd could do a better job."

_I thought you'd never ask._

Mica stood and went to the front of the classroom while Mrs. Bat took her seat in the back row. She cracked her knuckles, picked up an eraser, and surveyed the room with a very mocking Mrs. Bat sort of way.

"Now settle down class. I know you've all got better things to do but I've still got another fifteen hours of lecture to cover." she croaked, mimicking the old lady to a tea. Her classmates snickered and Mrs. Bat scowled.

Mica continued her act, shuffling to the board. "Now where were we? Ah yes, the ancient Sun Warrior culture." She erased all of Mrs. Bat's notes in a few quick swipes, which clearly pissed off Mrs. Bat and the goodie-goodies actually trying to write things down. "By definition, ancient culture existed thousands of years ago. Hence we really have no way of knowing for sure what they were like. Hence this lesson is completely pointless." She thumped the eraser down just as the musical sound of the final bell rang. "Class dismissed."

#

_Ugh! Why did I have to go and open my big mouth? Today of all days._

Mica raced from the detention hall and hit the parking lot running. Hers was the only student car still there. Go figure. She half sprinted, half leapt into her battered bucket of a satomobile with its bent fenders and front door that didn't open. "Clunker" she nicknamed it, on account of the random rattling noises it made when she floored it down the highway.

Ironically enough the car wasn't actually that old. It merely had the misfortune of once belonging to the living road-hazard that was her Aunt Korra. But whatever. A ride was a ride. And in her family she was lucky to have gotten that much.

If it were up to her parents Clunker would still be collecting dust in the back of Aunt Asami's garage and she'd be riding one of the family eel-hounds to school. Not that she didn't like riding or eel-hounds. It was just harder to look after animals that size in the city. Her mom didn't understand. She was so old school it was sad. Her Dad didn't drive either. Not because he didn't like driving. More like he was too easily distracted to do it safely or so her uncle claimed. And since Uncle Mako was the chief of police, and self-proclaimed boss of everything fun in these parts, her dad listened. Ironic really, since Uncle Mako wouldn't know fun if it came over and bit him on the butt.

"Keys," she mumbled, checking her pockets, then her backpack, then the floor. Why was it she could never find those blasted things when she needed them?

"Churr?" asked a ferrety voice.

Mica yelped, bashing her head beneath her dashboard. "Bandit!" She scolded when a little orange fire-ferret head popped out from underneath her passenger seat. "I thought I told you not to sneak up on me like... hey my keys!"

Her companion "churred" again tilting his head so the keys in his mouth jingled.

"Thanks, pal." She ruffled the fur on his head. He was a bright orange, like his volcat mother Shouga, but he had his father Pabu's dark mask and feet which made him look every much the bandit that he was. He played the part perfectly too, compliments of his hybrid parentage. Bandit might not face down a dragon like his wild mother, but he would follow one back to their den and make off with their most prized treasure.

Lucky for her today's treasure of choice happened to be her missing keys. She crammed them in the ignition, and turned them hard. Clunker vrr-vrr-vrred in protest three times before finally turning over with a sputter and a pop.

_After today I won't need this bucket of bolts anymore. Because I'll have my own career. My own money. I'll be able to do whatever I want. I'll even be able to get a motorcycle._

She tossed her head back, letting the wind whip back her hair.

_And no one, not even mom and dad, will be able to stop me._

She backed out quickly, accidentally dinging one of the mirrors off of Mrs. Batt's rover before speeding out and into traffic. Uncle Mako would have a hippo-cow if he saw. But he wasn't here and she was in a hurry.

#

Cabbage Corp Studios was halfway across town, and she was already late.

Mica had met her fair share of jerkwads in her life. Most of them were paparazzi, naturally. Came with the territory of being a mover star's kid. But there were others too. Today's reigning champion was Mrs. Dunwitch, Cabbage Crops, producer. She leered at Mica from across her fancy oak desk, like Mica was some scurrying vermin and not a person at all.

"I don't know how I can put it any plainer," she said, steepling her fingers. "You just aren't what we're looking for at this time."

"That's a load of crap," Mica spat. "Your audition registration specifically said you were looking for a young actress to play the role of Korra in your musical My Fair Avatar. You needed someone young and athletic, proficient in singing, bending, and dancing."

"Yes, I recall," Dunwitch sniffed. "We felt Honey met the qualifications for the role."

Honey Galore. The tall, curvaceous, and hyper-competitive daughter of superstar Ginger Galore. Dunwitch's words were like rubbing salt in a open wound. Mica clenched her fists.

"Except the _acting_ part! And have you heard her sing? Actually heard her?"

Dunwitch's mouth twitched, a sure sign that she had and (most likely) shared Mica's opinion of it. So why then was Honey still chosen over her?

_Why?_

Why indeed. Why was anyone always chosen before her. No matter where she went it always boiled down to the same stupid reason. Fear. People were afraid of her explosive bending. And they'd do everything in their power to avoid her. Including casting a tone-deaf, uncoordinated, fake-blonde as the lead in a musical about Avatar Korra.

"Did you even watch the reel I sent?" Mica asked harshly. The answer would hurt either way, she knew, but still she needed to know.

Dunwitch cleared her throat. "It's like I said before. We had a lot of entries--"

"You didn't."

Mica was on her feet now. Torn. Part of her wanted to lunge across the desk and pound that snooty look off Dunwitch's face. The other part of her, a more fragile part, wanted to break down and start sobbing. This was supposed to be her big break. The kickstart to her own career. The proof to her parents, and to herself, that she could handle herself on stage without their help or connections. But since Dunwitch's finger was already on a security call button, and Mica absolutely refused to cry in front of her, she could only stand there wordless, her fists shaking.

Soon a security guard was in the doorway behind her. He wasn't from her uncle's precinct. Just her luck. One of them might have defended her.

"Show this young lady out, please." Dunwitch said, gesturing with her hand.

"This isn't over!" Mica snarled. It was a boldface lie. She couldn't fight Cabbage Corp politics. Not without her parents finding out and asking all sorts of questions. Still, there was enough rage in Mica's voice to make the threat sound convincing. She shoved passed the guard flinging Dunwitch's door closed behind her so hard she cracked the window.

She stomped her way all the way down to the street, drawing glances and whispers from every employee and pedestrian she passed on her way to her parking space.

When Clunker gave its usual protests as Mica turned the keys, she slammed her fist on the dashboard. Then the horn.

#

She wanted to scream. Just this once. Mica wanted to let loose and shriek her rage for the whole city to hear. But she couldn't. Screaming would just ruin her voice. And she wound not do that. Not for the sake of Mrs. Dumbwitch or Honey Gagmore. So she had to make due with the only other outlet she had.

Blowing stuff up.

Fortunately for Mica, the owner of the place didn't mind her collateral damage. He was a lazy son-of-a-gun and was more then happy to let her do all the demolition work he'd otherwise have to do himself. In return for her 'labor,' he let Mica have free run of the scrapyard. She could come and go as she pleased and take whatever spare parts she didn't feel inclined to blow to smithereens.

Once she got to the scrapyard, Mica pulled out her special "reverse hearing aids"--or so Uncle Varrick (Dad's talent agent/eccentric inventor friend) called them. She shoved them into her ear and drew up a chunk of earth... then charged it and sent it flying. The rock smashed through the windshield of a tireless, engineless satomobile and blew out the interior. Shards of metal and glass fell like shimmering rain. By the time she finally ran out of energy, half the scrapyard would be converted to shrapnel.

It had been this way for almost a year now, ever since Mica aced her driver's license exam and convinced Aunt Asami to part with Clunker. Aside from her botched audition attempt, the scrapyard remained one of her most closely guarded secrets. Not because her parents would mind her practicing her bending. They had built an assault course in their backyard for that very purpose. Mica preferred this place over home because she could unleash all her emotions without her parents hovering nearby trying to pry into things she'd rather they not pry into.

She stomped her foot, commanding a chunk of earth the size of a watermelon. Then she shifted stances, using one of the modified earthbending techniques she had invented to pull the rock just to her outstretched fingers as she executed the rest of the motion. It took a full circle to pool enough energy to charge the rock.

_That jerk Dunwitch thinks I'm dangerous? I'll show her dangerous!_

Sweating and panting, Mica used the last of her strength to send the glowing explosive into a mound of scrap two stories high. The impact of the explosion that followed knocked her off her feet and into the grimy ground. Mica rolled for cover as engine parts and flaming tires fell all around her. She lay there for several minutes, her body aching like she had just run a marathon.

She sat up extra slowly, fighting dizziness. Her stomach churched as she removed the sound-blockers from her ears. She had pushed herself too hard. If she didn't replenish some calories soon, she was going to faint. One more reason she loved the scrapyard. Her favorite dive was just across the street.

The door to the diner announced her arrival with a cheerful bell prompting the owner, Sal, to look up from his grill.

"Evening, Mica," he greeted as she came in. "The usual?"

Mica took her customary seat at the bar at the far end, so that she was within easy reach of the jukebox. Bandit hopped up onto the stool beside her.

"Make it a double. And some chicken fingers for Bandit."

Sal gave his customary spatula salute, slinging grease bits as he did so. "You got it sweetie."

Mica, in the meantime, leaned over and popped a coin into the jukebox. Most of the music was peppy, dance-y stuff and the newer releases her classmates were into. But there were a few classics from some of the older movers. Mica keyed in the combination for the last record. The trademark song from her favorite play "VolCats" resonated through the little diner.

Mica hummed along softly letting the familiar melody ease her pain.

_There will be other shows,_ she told herself as she stroked Bandit's head. _This is only a setback._

So then why did she feel so lost inside? _Because it wasn't my performance they didn't like. It was me._

Mica couldn't give a spider-rat's patootee what Dumbwitch and her staff thought of her personality. She could play polite or innocent or whatever role they wanted if that's what it boiled down to. But she had been turned down because of her bending, something she had been born with and couldn't change.

A few minutes later Sal slid a plate skillfully down to her piled high with one of the biggest, greasiest (and tastiest) burgers in all of Republic City. It was followed shortly by a basket of fried chicken and a large sundae glass filled to the brim and topped with a mountain of whipped cream.

"One double bacon cheese burger with double bacon. And a large double chocolate malt," said Sal with a yellowed grin.

"Thanks, Sal. You're the best."

She ate in silence. Savoring the taste of her food and the music in her ears. Then the door to the diner jingled open and Mica caught a whiff of engine grease and Varrick No. 9 cologne.

Her heart fluttered. _Dino_.

"Yo, Sal! Gimme a special." Dino said in his sexy city accent as he sauntered up behind Mica and draped an arm over her shoulder. "And another shake for my gal here."

Across the counter, Sal eyeballed the young man with his usual contempt but complied all the same.

Mica drained the last of her shake as Dino shifted Bandit to the counter and cozied up beside her.

"Thanks, Dino."

"No problem, babe." He ran his fingers through his slicked hair, still shimmering with oil. "So, how'd the audition go? You get the Cabbage Corp execs eating out of your hand yet?"

Mica gritted her teeth. "Not quite."

"Not quite? What the heck does that mean?" He furrowed his brows. "You didn't tank it, did you?"

Mica scowled at him. Of all the stupid, insensitive-- "No! I put everything I had into that reel!" _The one they didn't even watch._

Rage welled again. Dino was angry, too. She could see it in his eyes. This opportunity would have helped him as well. Had Mica gotten the part with Cabbage Corp, she would have had the chance to convince the higher ups there to bring Dino on board as an extra. He would finally be able to break away from his dad's garage and pursue his dream of acting. Mica had expected he'd be angry at the rejection. She hadn't expected that anger to be directed at her.

"Then you must have done something else. Pissed off someone important--"

"The only one getting pissed off right now is _me_ , Dino," she spat, then looked away. "I don't want to talk about it anymore." Sal slid her second shake down the counter and she quickly plunked a straw in it and slurped. Anything for an excuse not to talk.

She polished off her second shake as Dino wolfed down a burger, a basket of onion rings and a slice of Sal's famous apple pie. All the while the silence simmered between them. Dino could so be impossible sometimes. Especially when he had his heart set on something.

Admittedly, it was that fire that had drawn her to him. Well, that and his spiffy motorcycle. None of the boys from school even came near her. But Dino wasn't like the others. He was made of tougher stuff. Tough enough to handle her short temper... and even the occasional explosion.

Of course, sometimes dealing with that never-say-die attitude of his was also a real pain in the neck. Like now, for instance.

Mica paid her tab and was just about ready to get up and leave him there sulking when she felt a touch on her shoulder.

"Sorry, babe. About what I said. I know you tried your best. It's just a shock, ya know. All our plans--rising to the top together..."

"Yeah, I know." Mica mumbled softly.

Bandit had fallen asleep on the counter belly up and feet waving. Mica tucked the little animal in her arms as Dino settled his own bill. Then they left arm in arm.

Outside a chill had picked up and she shivered against Dino's side. He slid off his leather jacket and draped it around her shoulders, blanketing her and Bandit in his warmth.

"Clunker's parked down the block. Mind walking with me, Dino?"

"Sure. But before we go I got somethin' that will cheer ya up."

He reached into his jeans pocket.

"Unless you've got a mover contract with Cabbage Corp in there, I doubt it," she tried to joke. But the words still tasted bitter.

Dino smirked. Then he took her hand and placed a small ring box in it. "I was savin' this as a congratulations present. But--I guess now's as good a time as any."

Mica rolled her eyes at him. "Jewelry? Really?"

"Just open it."

Mica did. Inside the velvet lined box was a set of keys. Mica held them up, inspecting them as they twinkled in the neon light of the diner sign. They bore the logo of an eel-hound.

Her stomach clenched and a sudden thrill of excitement shot down her back. There was only one vehicle that had that insignia. It belonged to one of the fastest motorcycles ever built. "Does this mean...?" she prompted.

"I just finished the repairs last night,"

Mica felt dizzy. Finally, something went right for a change. "Show me!"


	3. Passing

Shyu angled his face downward, hoping his glasses hid his expression in just a way that told all passers-by, "Please don't talk to me." It seemed to be working. He held out a book and watched several pairs of expressive-looking shoes shuffle by on the marble floor without even pausing at him. Shyu tried to look interested in the book; it was something about the history of the Sun Warriors. Not exciting stuff, but if Dad caught him with his nose in an issue of "Popular Pro-Bending", it probably wouldn't have gone over nearly as well. Still, maybe he would have been sympathetic; the family had just gotten back from their second funeral in a week. After all the crowds, Shyu severely needed some alone time, even if he had to take it in a room full of people telling the Fire Nation Royal Family how sorry they were for their loss.

Shyu thought it was awkward a few days ago when everyone around him was mourning one of the world's most beloved leaders, not to mention the Fire Nation's longest-ruling monarch. Everyone had something wonderful to say about Great-grandfather Zuko, whether they had ever met the man or not. The funeral he'd just arrived back from, however, was much more uncomfortable. People kept approaching Dad, trying to say how much his Great Aunt Azula would be missed, but then they couldn't actually find anything kind to say about her. That she hadn't done anything too destructive in her final years of life was about the highest compliment anyone could give.

When the crowds of footsteps had worked their way away from him, Shyu reached into the back of the book and pulled out a paper-thin piece of metal he'd stuck between the pages. He'd gotten a stash of the stuff from that retired police chief, Ms. Lin Beifong. Supposedly, it had a low melting point. Holding it between his fingers, he focused all the energy he had on it. It grew to a dull red, but no brighter, and only bent slightly. Shyu grunted and dropped the shred of trash to the floor. He then closed the book and stood, looking for a good way to slip up the staircase to somewhere he could be legitimately alone. Kaja was chatting up the crowds now; he'd been doing so for the past three hours and even he looked tired of it. That was one advantage Shyu had in being the future Firelord's middle child and a mediocre bender, besides. If Kaja tried to slip out, there'd be a panicked search party underway within minutes. Few people noticed Shyu was sitting around to begin with, let alone when he left. He got to the staircase easily enough. He slipped his shoes off at the bottom step and picked up them up in his hands so his footsteps wouldn't draw attention. The tactic worked. He actually walked right past one chattering couple who completely missed the fact that a teenager was sneaking up the stairs behind them.

"...now, I'm not saying that Lady Azula didn't have a few screws loose," the man was saying. "But she was a true Fire Nation woman, that one." His lady friend took a sip of her drink, but nodded with enthusiastic agreement.

"I couldn't agree with you more. Not that Firelord Izumi isn't kind-hearted, but you need that... that _fire_ to understand the Fire Nation. You know what I mean?"

"I tell you one thing," the man now downed the rest of his drink in a single gulp and pointed at his friend, "Lady Azula wouldn't have been so soft on all these bloodbenders. No, sir, she would've had them all rounded up and locked away in two shakes of a volcat's tail..."

Shyu hurried up the steps the rest of the way, not caring to listen to anymore. He actually shuddered a bit as he reached the top step. While he wasn't too fond of people opening bashing his grandmother's rule (or his father's rule that hadn't even started yet), he could agree on one thing. Bloodbending freaked him out. He'd much rather have the Fire Nation's most pathetic firebending than even a hint of bloodbending in his veins. No one in his family had been affected by Harmonic Convergence, his father had assured him many times. Thank goodness for small favors.

#

The bike was everything Mica had dreamed of. Sleek, polished to perfection, with an engine that purred like a puma-deer. Dino had even painted it for her--black and red--her two favorite colors.

"Not bad for a pile of scrap, huh?" Dino smiled proudly. He had a right to be. A year ago this bike was a hunk of garbage Mica had found rusting in the scrap yard. But now, thanks to Dino's mechanical genius and Mica's choice scraping privilege, this once broken motorcycle had been transformed into something amazing.

"She's perfect." Mica turned the keys and fired up the engine heedless of the Republic City residents she might wake up. The bike revved to life, obeying her as easily as a well-trained eel-hound. There was no stalling or sputters. Just eleven-hundred pounds of raw power beckoning to be driven.

Mica couldn't stand it anymore. She grabbed hastily for the helmet she had secretly snitched from her Aunt Asami's and that Dino had painted to match her new ride. "Lets take her out right now!" She reached again, this time for a tiny pair of goggles and a leather flight cap which she pulled onto Bandit.

But Dino just shook his head. "Hey, now. Take it easy. You've still got a few more lessons yet before you can drive one of these babies solo."

"Oh, come on!" Mica tossed up her hands. "You've been saying that for months now."

"Yeah, and I'm gonna say it again. And again. And again until you get it through your stubborn head. You're not ready yet." He made a gesture for her keys. "Plus it's the middle of the night. We'd wake up the whole street."

Okay, he had a point there.

Dino's secret motorcycle driving lessons wouldn't be much use if her Uncle Mako busted them and confiscated her bike. Not to mention the veritable heap of punishment she'd have to deal with if her parents found out.

She withdrew the keys, quieting the engine. Dino took them, her helmet, and Bandit's gear and hung them on the wall of his father's garage right next to his own biking gear.

She looked at the dangling keys longingly. "How long? Until I'm ready?"

He came over and lifted her off the bike and into his arms. "That depends on you, babe. How long until you can convince your folks to let you try for your motorcycle license?"

Mica groaned. "Forever until infinity and then some." She gave a halfhearted laugh. "Dad might go for it I can get Uncle Mako to vogue for me. But my mom... she's has serious trust issues when it comes to vehicles. And in general, really. If she found out half the stuff I've done..." Mica shuddered. She didn't want to think of what would happen.

Dino set her down gently but kept his arms around her shoulders so she had to gaze up into his eyes. He looked thoughtful. "What if I tried to convince her?"

"You?" Mica laughed.

"Sure, why not? I can bring it up all casual like." He wasn't joking.

"Two problems, Dino. One, my folks don't like you. And two, they're barely home."

Dino wasn't offended. "Well, maybe if I could get some time on set with them, I could get them to warm up to me... and your ride."

If only it were that easy. Still, the idea was intriguing -- her parents actually approving of her boyfriend. She could ask Uncle Varrick to pull some strings, but he was hardly the quiet type. And her father would be the first person he told. Still, maybe it was a gamble worth taking.

"I guess I could try talking to Uncle Varrick about getting you a job..."

Dino's face lit up and Mica could see some of the fire return to his eyes. He spun her around. Then tickled her ribs. She tried to stifle her giggles and talk at the same time, which wasn't easy since Dino was also trying to kiss her. "Buh I still-- don't fink--parents--will approof..."

"Just promise me you'll talk to him soon. Promise?"

Mica gasped for breath. "Okay, okay! I promise."

He kissed her again, for real this time. Mica leaned into him, breathing in his sweet scent of oil and cologne and suddenly wishing that the night didn't have to end.


	4. Money Troubles

Bolin found Tenna hunched at their desk staring intently at an unfolded letter. Her brows were furrowed. Not a good sign.

Bolin came up behind her and reached down to rub her shoulders. Maybe it wasn't as bad as he thought. Maybe the news was actually good and Tenna was just to tired to be excited about it. They had been working a lot lately.

"Whatcha reading, hon?" he dared to ask, trying to keep his tone as optimistic as possible. Tenna looked up at him with weary amber eyes.

"A letter from Mica's principal." She massaged her temples and handed him the paper she had been reading.

"Oh." Bolin felt his stomach sink. So much for his grand delusions of things going right for a change.

He skimmed the letter, skipping the polite sugar-coating the school staff felt obligated to throw in. Sadly, he and Tenna had gotten enough of them over the years that he knew exactly where to look to find out what Mica had done.

"Disrespecting authority... refusing to do assignments... skipping classes... reckless driving on school grounds..."

"Keep reading," Tenna said.

"Property damage in the amount of... wah, holy crap!" He gripped the letter in both hands and peered closer, just to make sure he was absolutely, positively seeing the number correctly. "They can't seriously expect us to pay for--" he began but was cut off when Tenna held up a bill.

"Apparently they seriously can."

He stepped away and leaned his back heavily against the wall.

 _How are we going to afford this?_ He couldn't bring himself to ask. Heck, just thinking about it hurt his head. It wasn't fair. Tenna and he were mover stars. With their salaries combined they made more money in a year than most people made in a lifetime. They shouldn't have to worry about money. And yet here they were doing just that. And it wasn't just because Mica occasionally felt the need to blow up school property (though that certainly didn't help). Oh, no. The real credit for their present struggles went to dear old Uncle Chow who stupidly decided to invest all of his inheritance to try and start his own fruit shipping business--never mind that he was competing with both Varrick Industries and Cabbage Corp.

Tenna spoke, her ever calm, sensible voice pulling him back from his private seething.

"I spoke with Varrick. He's already got us a contract for another Nuktuk tour. If we do that and each renew for another season at the studio... we should be able to manage."

Bolin's face fell. Though he liked his role in the hit series "I Love Bolin," trying to juggle filming that with traveling and performing live-shows...

"Tenna, it's too much. We're working like crazy as it is. If we try to do a tour on top of that... we're talking fourteen-hour days. We'll hardly see each other."

"For a little while. Just until your Uncle gets back on his feet."

Bolin crossed his arms, as if frumping over the situation might somehow fix it sooner. "I still don't see why my cousins can't help." Flames knew he had enough of them.

"Tu and the others are trying their best, but they just don't make the kind of money we do." She lowered her voice a bit. "They're your family, Bolin. We can't just abandon them."

"And what about Mica? We can't abandon her, either. Not now." Not when she clearly needed their guidance.

He watched Tenna's face tighten with pain. "I know."

She looked away, trying and failing to hide tears. Bolin felt like crying, too. He had thought Mica was doing better this year. Or maybe it was just wishful thinking. He thought like that a lot during those long days in the studio. Every time he and Tenna didn't get home in time for dinner. Every filming trip they had to take for weeks or months. He had always let himself imagine that Mica was home safe and happy and doing everything she was supposed to while they were away. He needed that small glimmer of hope...if only to convince himself that he wasn't a total failure as a father.

But now... hearing this on top of everything else? He didn't know what to do. All he and Tenna wanted was to give Mica the life they never had. A safe home. An education. The chance to grow up and do normal girl things. Even after Mica's power emerged, they had pressed on. They built a safe place for her to practice, helped her gain enough control so she could go back to school. When Mica had trouble fitting in, he and Tenna had tried to expand their family earlier than planned, to give Mica a sibling--a friend to grow up with who wouldn't be afraid of her power.

Bolin felt his throat catch. For years they had tried with no success. He and Tenna had even taken a trip down do the south pole to consult with Katara and see if her healing could help. But to no avail. Tenna's chi had been twisted to badly, Katara had said. And the fact that they had conceived Mica was nothing short of a miracle.

She was their miracle child... in so many ways. All the more reason this situation hurt so badly. He and Tenna had wanted so much to be good parents. And yet their little girl was alone and angry, and she was lashing out at the world and everyone in it all because of the power she had inherited...from them.

He rubbed a hand across his eyes, brushing away the tears before Tenna could see. This was getting them nowhere. Things were the way they were. Nothing could change that, least of all crying over it. Plus, seeing him cry would just make Tenna more upset. And he hated seeing her upset. Bolin searched the room for a distraction. Something to lighten both their moods even just for a little while. His gaze eventually settled on an array of framed photos neatly arranged on a shelf they had dedicated to the memories of their travels. They were in chronological order, some going back as far as snapshots from their very first Nuktuk film tour in the Fire Nation when he and Tenna had only just started dating. There was a picture of their first trip back to the Fire Palace when Mica was still in diapers. Mica had yanked out Firelord Izumi's crown, much to her and her entire family's amusement... until Mica had a hissy-fit and refused to give it back. And then there was the year they had gone to visit Kyoshi island. The Kyoshi warriors had been wary of Tenna and her combustionbending at first. But then Tenna bested their leader in a friendly non-bending spar. She earned the warriors' respect and the three of them got VIP treatment for the rest of the visit. One of the warriors even made Mica an adorable little Kyoshi warrior uniform. Mica loved that outfit. So much so, that she insisted on wearing it all day every day for the next three months.

Bolin smiled, then chuckled.

Tenna looked over. "What is it?"

"Oh, I was just thinking about the good old days," said Bolin wistfully as another photo caught his eye. "You remember the Misty Palms Oasis?"

His wife gave a weak smile. "Mica had just turned seven. She tried to blow up the ice-spring and to see if it would snow. I thought the owner was going to wet himself."

"Yeah," Bolin laughed. He had forgotten that little detail. "They had good drinks, too." Probably the reason he didn't remember details, actually.

"Mmm-hmm." Tenna nodded in appreciative agreement.

"Hey, when this mess is all over, let's plan another vacation. Just you, me, and Mica. It would give us a chance to reconnect."

A spark of warmth returned to Tenna's tired eyes. "I think that's a great idea."

He took her hand and entwined their fingers. Her grip was warm and strong. It always amazed him just how much strength there was in her. How much they had come through. They would get through this too. Together.

He drew her up into his arms and kissed her.

"You know... what else I remember about that trip..." He mumbled lovingly in her ear. Tenna's cheeks reddened just a bit. Even now, almost twenty years later, she still blushed just as prettily as she did on their wedding night.

Tenna wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a coy smile. The one she knew always drove him wild.

"It was a long time ago, love. I'm afraid my memory is a bit hazy...perhaps you could remind me."

#

Firelord Izumi stood back and watched her students practice with pride. They never practiced on each other, of course. She insisted on that. Nor did she ever use her powers against them. All of their training involved learning the stances, human anatomy, and the theory of how to resist a bloodbending attack if one came against them. Occasionally, she would let them attempt to bloodbend her to demonstrate, but no one ever came close to success. In fact, most of them didn't want to try. They were good kids, all of them. They didn't need to spend their lives living in fear of this power. They were better than that.

Today, they had finished formal training a bit earlier than expected, and Izumi had instructed the group of them to practice their stances for a few more minutes before leaving for the day.

"It's a lot of work, huh?" Kaja asked, stepping up next to her. It was so hard to believe her little grandson had already graduated high school and was looking at Fire Nation universities now. Izumi was going to miss his youthful enthusiasm. Kiki now helped with finding young bloodbenders when she visited, but Kaja had been the first of Iroh's children to learn about her abilities. She couldn't help but feel a loss that he'd outgrown these visits. She often wondered why Iroh's middle child Shyu had never participated in any exchange programs.

"He's just not interested in helping with that sort of thing," Iroh had always told her. She'd never pushed the topic. Certainly she never spoke about her bloodbending to Shyu. In fact, when Iroh was around, she avoided the topic with his family altogether.

"Yes, it is a lot of work," she finally answered Kaja. "But it's worth it. They're confident now. They're no longer afraid of themselves."

"Is that why you're still doing this?" Kaja asked. "So they won't be afraid?"

Izumi sighed. It was so hard to explain to Kaja, a royal firebender through and through, what it was like to have to hide her abilities. "That's probably the best way of putting it. When Harmonic Convergence happened, we had many people who suddenly found themselves with bloodbending powers. Powers that could hurt others without them even meaning to. Powers that would get them arrested in other countries, as if they'd caused the hurt out of evil intent."

Kaja sighed. It was his classic _I've-heard-this-spiel-a-million-times_ sigh. "I get all that. But I still say you're pressing your luck. Eventually, someone's going to snitch."

Izumi shrugged off the suggestion. "I've been doing these lessons for over fifteen years now, and I haven't had a problem yet. There's a certain understanding when you have this power, I think. A sense of respect for others with the same."

Kaja smirked. "Well, that and a sense of respect for the Firelord."

"The crown helps, I don't doubt." They shared a short laugh before Izumi continued with her explanation. "The point is, as far as I can tell, everyone who suddenly acquired these powers was at least a teenager at the time. But then we started to see a second generation of Fire Nation citizens born with these same powers. Back then, I was the only one who knew it's like to grow up with these abilities. And I fear I might still be the only one who isn't afraid of them." She stared out a window into a bright, cloudless sky. "If no one teaches these children how to live with their abilities, what happens to them? I have a duty to my people to protect them. That's my role as the Firelord."

"It'll be Dad's role soon," Kaja mused. She could hear the nervousness in his voice, the uncertainty about how he should feel. The Fire Nation wasn't home to him; Republic City was. It would strange, foreign even, living here when the time came.

Then, of course, there was the poison of media and public opinion.

"Y'know, I've been to a lot of schools," Kaja said quietly. "Never once encountered someone who actually supports Dad. I mean, people usually don't say anything too nasty about him, but I think it's only because they're scared of getting in trouble. And they're really mad that you and Great-grandpa Zuko never banned bloodbending like everyone else did."

His words stung Izumi far more than she let on. Even though Kaja was not a bloodbender himself, the trait ran through his blood. It could easily pass on to his children or grandchildren someday. This was his inheritance, right along with the crown. And she refused to let him hate it like she had.

"That's not anger," she said firmly. "That's fear."

Kaja scoffed, though quietly enough that he could have just been clearing his throat. "Yeah, well, fear looks a lot like anger sometimes."

She nodded, wondering if his young mind realized the weight of his insight. "Indeed it does," she sighed.

#

About an hour or so later, Izumi clapped her hands, catching all her students' attention. "Okay, that's enough, everyone!" she called. "Excellent form. We'll pick up next week."

The students stopped what they were doing and bowed politely to her before heading out. A bus was already scheduled to take them back to their homes. Yet another advantage of the Firelord running these classes. The "Fire Nation Junior Honor League" she'd concocted to cover what everyone's after-school activities was still going strong in its sixteenth year.

After everyone had left, Kaja jogged around turning the lights off while Izumi headed upstairs to change back into her more formal attire. She reached the top and pulled open the door, only to find someone already standing behind it.

"Oh, Nanami!" she said with surprise. "I didn't notice you there."

"I'm so sorry," the woman said with a polite bow. "I should have knocked first. I keep forgetting how my power disorients you."

She bowed again, deeper this time, making Izumi feel foolish for being startled in the first place. Her bloodbending had always given her a certain heightened sense of both her own body's movements and the movements of people nearby -- she imagined it was the same sensation her father used in place of his sense of touch. But Nanami was a voidbender -- Izumi's powers were neutralized around her.

"It's all right, really," she said. "I can hardly complain that I can't tell who's standing behind the door all the time, now can I?"

The humor seemed to finally assure Nanami that she wasn't in trouble. She even laughed a bit along with Izumi. "No, I suppose not. Well, I came to deliver a message. Your son is here to pick up Prince Kaja."

"Ah," Izumi said.

"Coming!" Kaja called, hurrying up the stairs two at a time. He seemed to be at an age where he still clung to his parents and yet wanted to give the image that he'd be completely fine without them. Not that unlike when he was nine, actually.

"Well, you'd better go finish packing," Izumi said, stepping out of the doorway to make room for him. "I know you left your... magazines lying all over the guest room." Kaja turned bright red at this and hurried down the hall.

Nanami laughed as she watched him go. "I think it's wonderful what you're doing for those children," she said to Izumi.

Izumi smiled. "It's good to hear that. I wish it was something we could do more... openly. Some of my students have parents who aren't even aware of their abilities."

"It's a touchy subject," Nanami agreed with a nod. "But people's attitudes change all the time. Perhaps that's all bloodbending needs... more time."

"Perhaps," Izumi said. She appreciated the optimism. With all the tension between herself and Iroh over the subject, optimism was sorely needed.


	5. The Invitation

Tenna had to hand it to her daughter--she never wasted the chance to make a dramatic entrance. Not that Mica was hard to miss. The sputtering hunk-of-junk satomobile that Asami had given her was loud. Like piss-off-an-entire-neighborhood loud. Or in their case, since Tenna and Bolin's home was on the rural outskirts of Republic City and they didn't have any neighbors, rile-up-every-eel-hound-in-her-kennel loud.

"Well, I guess Mica's back. And only two hours late for dinner." Bolin's brother raised a weary eyebrow at her from across the kitchen table as he checked his watch. "Where was she this whole time?"

"Do you really need to ask?" Tenna mumbled.

Mako frowned. Bolin had invited him over for dinner, which was nice. Until Mica ignored her curfew, that is. Now Tenna got to watch Mako make uncomfortable _well-don't-just-stand-there-you're-her-parents-do-something_ faces at her and her husband.

"It's that kid Dino again, isn't it?" he asked before Tenna could stop him. Flames, Mako had crap timing. Behind them a dish shattered. Tenna was on her feet a heartbeat later--remnants of the old battle instincts drilled into her during her years as a "weapon." Not that it mattered. The damage was already done. Bolin stood in the kitchen doorway, a tea tray clattering in his fisted hands.

"Err," he growled under his breath. "That punk. What does she even see in him?"

Tenna steadied the tray, whisking it away before more china suffered. "Here, let me take that while you grab the broom." She knew exactly what her daughter saw in him. Dino was handsome, smooth-talking, rebellious--every wild-hearted teenage girl's dream. And Mica was as wild as they came. The trouble was there was a side to Dino that Mica refused to see. And that side was going to break her heart.

Tenna set the tray down while Bolin huffed back to the kitchen to fetch a broom and dustpan for the saucepan that didn't survive.

"Well, she obviously sees something good in him," Mako offered. Trying to make amends for opening his mouth in the first place. "Maybe he's just a little rough around the edges? I mean, we were street toughs once, too."

"I wish that were the case," said Tenna, avoiding Mako's eyes as she shifted cups and plates from the tray to the table. "But he's just using her."

Mako stared. "You're sure?"

Tenna nodded solemnly. She hoped she was wrong. More than anything she wanted to be. But her weapon training had taught her how to read body language as easily as books. One look into that boy's eyes and she knew him for the schemer he was. And Mica... she was head-over-heels in love with him.

"It's pretty obvious, even without my training," Tenna said at last.

Mako frowned. "Have you told her?"

Tenna snorted. Now that was an ignorant question, especially coming from Mako who knew better.

"No, Mako. I thought I'd keep it to myself," she replied with exaggerated sarcasm. "Of course I've told her."

"We both have," added Bolin defensively as he came back in and knelt to sweep the shards of broken plate into the dustpan. He knitted his brows and pulled his mouth into a tight line. "But Mica's so stubborn, she doesn't want to listen."

Mako crossed his arms. "Sounds to me like you need to make her listen."

Ugh. Mako was using that tone again. The one that was criticizing without actually criticizing. Flames, she _hated_ when he did that. _Seriously, Mako, if it was really that easy don't you think we would have done that by now?_

Bolin saw her frustration and he made a point to pause in his sweeping to pass her the _pretty-please-don't-strangle-my-brother_ look before he headed back into the kitchen.

Tenna, meanwhile, forced herself to smile as she poured tea and offered the steaming cup to her brother-in-law before pouring one for Bolin and herself. Arrogance aside, Mako meant well. He did. But he was also a cop trying to use his cop logic, which wasn't helpful when it came to Mica. Pushing her wouldn't make her change, it would only compel Mica to push back even harder than before. Tenna knew this because Mica was like her in that way. Blunt orders just didn't sit well.

Speaking of that...

"You're late," Tenna said louder then necessary two seconds before Mica strolled through the door. Her daughter jumped.

"Flames, Mom! You know I hate it when you do that."

"Watch your language, young lady," Mako snapped.

Mica rolled her eyes. "And 'hi' to you too, Uncle Mako." She slung her backpack onto the nearest unoccupied chair then made a beeline to the kitchen. She emerged a few minutes later, a plate in each hand, one piled high with greens, the other with noodles and sauce. Bolin followed close behind her, carrying the tall glass of milk and a half a loaf of bread Mica didn't have room to carry.

She ate vigorously while Tenna and Bolin and Mako sipped at their tea and made small talk about important things like the weather, the ridiculous plots of Cabbage Corp's PB shows, and of course, all the stupid things Mako's newest rookie cops did.

"So..." Mako attempted to engage Mica after her eating had slowed a bit. "...how's school?"

As if teenagers really wanted to talk about school.

Sure enough Mica barely looked up. "Boring."

She tore into another hunk of bread. Something she had to chew. Clever girl. She knew Mako couldn't stand talking and chewing at the same time.

"Well, I've got some news that's definitely not boring," Bolin piped up, drawing Mica's eye. "Your dad and uncle have been asked to sit right up front at the Firelord's coronation tomorrow! Everyone's gonna be there. Your Aunts Korra and Asami. Your Uncle Varrick. Oh, and the royal family, of course. Your mom and Firelord Izumi are old friends, you know." He elbowed Tenna gently in the ribs for emphasis, even though this was hardly a family secret.

"Great. I hope you guys have fun."

"Actually, we were all invited. That means you're coming too, Mica," Mako pointed out in a no-nonsense tone. That stirred a reaction. Tenna caught the glint of Mica's mismatched eyes. Challenging.

"No thanks," said Mica.

Tenna glanced around the table. Bolin looked disappointed that Mica wasn't as thrilled about all this as he was.

"Oh, come on Mica. It will be fun," Bolin promised.

Mica snorted. "Spending a holiday hanging out with my boyfriend is fun. Spending that day shoving my way through crowds of sweaty people to spend hours listening to some Fire Sage drone on about the lives of every Firelord that ever lived just so General Iroh can get a crown? Not so much."

Mako was flat out furious. He narrowed his eyes. "But this is history in the making!"

"Fire Nation history. And we _don't live in the Fire Nation_ , Uncle Mako."

"That doesn't mean it isn't important," Mako snapped. "My mother came here from the Fire Nation. So did your mom. Heck, if it wasn't for Firelord Izumi, your parents would have never met."

True enough. Though Mako made things sound much more simple and romantic than they actually were.

In this case, Tenna supposed his version sounded better than, _I first met your father when I was working as a living weapon for a rogue gang of bloodbenders. They had captured him in order to lure your Aunt Korra to her death. After I served him a romantic dinner in his cage and had a little scuffle with Aunt Korra, your father swept me off my feet and took be back to the palace, after which I held a dagger to his throat and threatened to kill him..._

Mica rolled her eyes, uninspired. "Whatever. I'm still not going."

"You know, I've had it up to here with your disrespect--"

He never did learn, did he? Tenna spoke up, interrupting before Mako could assume the lecturing stance. "Suit yourself, Mica. But if that's the case, I'll need your car keys."

The room went quiet. Mako looked stunned. Bolin confused. Mica suspicious.

Her daughter raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"To drive there, obviously."

"But... you don't know how to drive, Mom."

"Actually I do," she said, smooth as silk. "I've been getting lessons from your Aunt Korra."

Tenna saw her daughter's mouth twitch as the words sank in. Saw her eyes searching, trying to decide if her mother was lying...and if she was willing to risk the consequences if not.

"Can't you get Uncle Mako to drive you?"

"Uncle Mako's going to be busy organizing security. Right, Mako?" She shot him a fierce and knowing look.

Mako stiffened in his chair. "Um... yes, that's right. I'm going to be much too busy."

"Dad?" Mica looked to her father, though judging from the look in her eyes, imagining him behind the wheel was almost as unnerving as picturing Tenna there.

"Actually, I was thinking of leaving a bit early. You know, scope things out, make sure no one tries to be sneaky and steal Team Avatar's seats."

That was new. Though, admittedly, not unlike her husband. The wife in Tenna wanted to roll her eyes just like Mica and assure Bolin that "no one is going to try and steal your seats, dear." But the mother in her acted instead, assuring Mica calmly with just the right amount of guilt mixed in. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. _Really._ "

Mica sighed, shoulders sinking in resignation. "Fine mom. If it means that much to you, I guess... I can drive you."

"Thank you," said Tenna.

Mica harrumphed and pushed herself out from the table. "Well, guess I better go pick out something to wear to this thing." She plucked her backpack from the chair beside her and slung it roughly over her back as she started to leave. "Later, Uncle Mako."

"Bye," he said, for lack of something better. He had a sort of shell-shocked look about him. Probably wondering how the heck Tenna managed to accomplish what she did without once raising her voice. Not that she wouldn't, if it came down to that.

"Nothing too short, Mica," Bolin called after her in his sternest fatherly voice, which really wasn't very stern at all. "I mean it."

"Yeah, yeah," echoed Mica's fading voice.

Tenna rubbed her eyes. Mica had left her dishes where they sat, she noticed. One last small act of defiance to bolster her wounded pride, no doubt. Stubborn child. Ah, well. At least the fight was over.

And yet part of her couldn't help but feel guilty. The way she had to manipulate Mica-- was she really any better than that punk Dino? Tenna grimaced at the thought.

 _If Mica would just_ listen. _Would just behave and quit being so blasted stubborn I wouldn't have to resort to this._ She fumed silently as she set to work clearing the table. Then again, if Mica wasn't stubborn, she wouldn't be who she was. And that was far worse.


	6. Opportunity

Mica had narrowed her choice of outfits down to two. A cute little red and orange sleeveless dress that was just short enough to annoy her dad. Or a classy blouse, jacket and and pencil skirt all in very deliberate un-Fire-Nation blue.

"How about it, Bandit? Red or blue?" She looked both to her companion and her mirror, holding up each outfit in front of her. Bandit _churred_ sleepily at her from his little basket bed, which as far as she could tell meant "I dunno," in ferret speak.

"Thanks," she said rolling her eyes, "That's real helpful."

Bandit flicked a dismissive ear, ready to turn over and go back to sleep, when an unseen sound made him jerk up. Mica strained to hear, hairs rising on the back of her neck. Then she heard it--the click of a door-handle being turned. In the mirror, Mica saw one of her balcony doors start to open. That meant only one of two things: either a ballsy paparazzi had managed to slip past her mom's eel hounds and was now about to experience a close encounter of the explosive kind... or her boyfriend was trying to be stealthier than he actually was. Mica rested her hand on her dresser, fingers grazing one of her smoothed stones she always kept in easy reach ready to fling... or make explode. But when the door swung open, Mica caught a whiff of summer air tinged with Varrick No. 9.

"Dino! Are you crazy?" She whirled to face him, nearly tripping on Bandit as he war-danced around her and Dino's legs excitedly. "My folks are right downstairs! If they catch you--"

Dino stopped her with a kiss that made her blush from cheeks to collarbones.

"Relax, babe. No one saw me."

"What are you doing here?" she asked when she had caught her breath.

"I know I was a bit of a jerk yesterday, so I wanted to make it up to you." He held out a picnic basket covered with a red and white checkered blanket. "Thought we could have a little picnic in the sunrise."

Mica smiled despite herself. Dino risking the wrath of her folks and a dozen trained eel-hounds just to sneak up and bring her breakfast was pretty romantic. She set aside her clothes, laying out her two choice outfits neatly on her bed and shoving the rest underneath it to clear a space on the floor. Dino, meanwhile opened her balcony doors wide letting in fresh air, bird-sounds, and soft orange sunlight. Outside, Mica could also hear the familiar snuffles and grunts of old Shadow, the kennel's founding sire, and two of his grown pups Phantom and Ghost as they circled the property on their morning patrol.

A thought struck her.

"Hey, Dino? How did you get past the hounds, anyway?"

Dino grinned as he spread the small checkered blanket on her floor. "Easy. I had Sal cook them up some breakfast, too. Hope you're in the mood for steak and eggs."

He opened the basket. The irresistible aroma of fried meat tickled Mica's nose and her stomach growled right on cue. Apparently even a few hours of furiously tossing clothes around was enough to work up her appetite. Or maybe that was just the anger munchies doing their thing. Mica was still pretty mad at her mom for making her go to this stupid coronation at all.

Dino saw it, too. Not that her angry face was exactly hard to miss. The difference was Dino had been with her long enough to know the difference between "mildly peeved" and "I need to blow something up now!"

"What's the matter, hon?" Dino asked as he set out the food. "You get in another fight with your mom?"

Dang, but that was unnerving.

Mica sawed ineffectively at the steak with a plastic fork and knife as she recounted yesterday's events with renewing frustration. Midway through her story, she snapped the knife in half and had to resort to picking the steak up with her fingers and tearing off hunks with her teeth like one of her mom's hounds.

"So now I'm gonna be stuck there the whole day! All because my stupid parents have to be all patriotic," she half-spoke, half-growled as she chewed her final bite and wiped the grease from her face and fingers. Then she let her arms fall limply to her sides and leaned her head on Dino's shoulder. "This stinks."

Dino didn't move to comfort her as she expected. He merely continued eating, his eyes far away in thought.

"Maybe," he said at last. "Maybe not."

Mica pulled away. In what universe did getting stuck at a boring lecture not bite the big one? "Come again?"

Dino shrugged. "Some of the biggest hotshots in the city are gonna be there." He raised a knowing eyebrow. "You show up all cute and sassy like you are, maybe hum a few notes or show off a bending stance or two... someone important could notice. The kind of somebody who might give you a shot on stage."

Mica scratched behind her head, suddenly feeling a little silly she hadn't thought of that herself. "You think?"

"It could happen." He kissed her on the forehead. "And if it doesn't, you can always use this family together time to put in a good word for me."

It wasn't a bad idea, actually. If she was going to spend the next six hours bored out of her skull, the least she could do was try to get something good for herself and Dino out of it. Of course, that was much easier said then done. Especially with someone as stubborn as her mom.

"I can try. Though they're probably going to be too busy rubbing elbows with the royal family to listen to me. Dad's got a seat right up front and Mom and Firelord Izumi are old friends, so I don't know if she'll feel like talking about work or... you know... you." She lowered her eyes a little. "Actually, I can almost guarantee she isn't gonna want to talk about you." She felt a little stab of pain at her own words. As much as she loved Dino, there was still some part of her that wished her folks liked him, too.

"You're smart, Mica. I know you'll find a way to convince them. You have to." He leaned in a little closer, snuggling close to her ear. "I'm trusting you with my future, ya know. Our future."

 _Why should it be up to me?_ The thought crossed her mind then flitted away just as quickly. This wasn't some shutterbug paparazzi itching for a handout. This was the man she loved. How would they ever build a life together if she started to doubt him now?

Mica looked up into his face. Dino had pale gray eyes. The kind that could be deep and alluring one second and pierce like a knife the next. They were wild now, full of life and energy. She did not let him see her doubt. Instead she gave a quirky little smile and teased, "This trust coming from the guy who won't even let me drive my own motorcycle?"

To her surprise, Dino didn't tease her back. "You know what? You're right."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. Tell you what. I'll swing by and park your bike downtown somewhere safe. Then when you're done at the coronation, you can meet me back at my place."

It took all of Mica's inner resolve not to jump up, squeal, and do a happy dance around her room. She would do that later. For now, she raised a teasing eyebrow. "I thought you said I wasn't ready."

Dino crossed his arms. "Because it was late and I didn't want you tearing off in the middle of the night at ninety miles an hour."

Mica snorted, trying her best to look offended at the suggestion even though she totally would have done that. Dino went on, "This is different. My place isn't far from downtown. And the streets will be so full of traffic you'll have no choice but to go slow." He gave a warning look. "Just make sure your uncle doesn't spot you."

"Just make sure his underlings don't confiscate my bike before I can even get to it," Mica retorted.

"Don't worry, babe. I've already thought of the perfect hiding place."

"Where?"

"Somewhere police, and people in general really, don't tend to snoop around."

The spirit portal. He's talking about the spirit portal. She smiled at his stroke of genius. The vines around the portal would provide more than enough cover to hide her bike. And, best of all, they would deter unwanted visitors like Uncle Mako.

Warmth bloomed in her chest, chasing away the last threads of doubt and anger. Finally, something to look forward to.

Dino stood and stretched. "Well, then. I should probably go if I want to beat the traffic."

"Okay."

He helped Mica to her feet and gave her one last kiss for the road. He was halfway onto the balcony when Mica called after him.

"Oh wait! One last thing--" She hastily held up her outfits again. "Red or blue?"

Dino smiled and winked. "Red. Definitely red."

#

Shyu leaned against the railing of a fountain that featured a statue of his great-grandfather Zuko. Not that anyone could easily see that. The sun had barely risen, and it was cloudy besides. But since it was the only time of the day Shyu would get to be by himself, he had made a point of getting up early and coming out to enjoy it.

Dad had changed since Grandma Izumi announced she would be stepping down as Firelord. Shyu and his two siblings didn't agree on much, but at least that, they all knew. As "General Iroh," Dad was tough on his troops in battle, but kind and even with a fun side when it came to peace time. He personally planned a huge party whenever anyone retired. Shyu liked those parties. He liked how many of the troops were just normal, nonbenders, and yet, they seemed okay with that. Some part of him wanted to be like them someday while another part hoped he would never be like them. That somehow, someway, he'd develop his own powers.

Either way, the parties were a thing of the past now. When dad went from "General Iroh" to "Future Firelord Iroh," there were no more fun, down times. Everything was always serious. Every time you took a step, every time you said a word... flames, probably every time you went to the bathroom, somehow the way you did it was going to reflect good or bad on the royal family's reputation. Kaja thrived under the pressure, of course. If every second of his life was a chance to impress Dad, that was Kaja's ideal world. Kiki got a bit nervous with all the extra attention, but no one put too much pressure on her. She was only nine, after all. The precious little Fire Nation princess. As long as she put on a shimmery kimono and twirled in front of the cameras now and again, she'd done her part, and the almighty Firelord Iroh was happy.

That was the part that hit Shyu the hardest. Half the time now, he felt weird saying "Dad." Like if it wasn't "Firelord," he was being inappropriate or something. This coronation was taking that familiarity away from him. And it wasn't even happening for another six hours.

"Prince Shyu! Prince Shyu!"

Shyu winced. He knew the voice that was calling for him -- one of the pickiest, most critical members of the palace staff. The nagging old man had slapped Shyu's wrists no less than four times during last night's banquet. For using the wrong forks.

"Prince! Shyu!" the man's voice came again. He hurried up to the fountain. Not really running; he was wearing a ridiculously frilly outfit that looked like it might just collapse all around him if he ran too fast. But he made a point to walk as dignified and quickly as he could up to Shyu's side and look thoroughly infuriated at the same time. Not in a mood to get his wrist slapped again, Shyu stood and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"You found me," he said. "Congratulations."

This made the man look even more annoyed. He huffed like an irritated pig-rooster. "You, young man, are wanted back at the palace immediately. You've kept the photographers waiting half an hour."

"Photographers?" Shyu tried to remember. As much as the ceremony of everything annoyed him, he did try to make it to all of Firelord Iroh... of Dad's big events on time. But how was there a photo session this early in the morning?

"I thought the photographs were all yesterday," he said. "We had a two-hour session."

"And all those photos are all over today's newspaper," the servant said. "Which means the press will need photos for tomorrow's newpaper."

"Oh, burn me!" Shyu threw up his hands.

The servant seemed pleased to have gotten a reaction. "Language, young man, language. It doesn't do to have the Fire Nation prince speak like that."

Shyu rolled his eyes. "A Fire Nation prince. I'm not the only one, in case you forgot."

"I didn't," the servant said, turning and motioning for Shyu to follow. "Your older brother is the crown prince. There's a difference."


	7. Zarah

The last coronation Bolin had attended had not gone particularly well. Actually, it was less of a coronation and more of a crazy dictator declaring her intentions to dictate crazily. The only other coronation that had happened in his lifetime was that of Firelord Izumi. He'd been thirteen at the time, less concerned with world politics, and more concerned with which restaurant might be nice enough to donate their scraps so he didn't have to fish through their dumpster. (He did recall, upon hearing that Lord Zuko was off traveling the world, wondering how much the guy's autograph would go for in the local market.)

So, in short summary, the coronation of General Iroh was kind of a big deal. The fact that he'd been invited to sit in the front row along with Korra and the rest of Team Avatar was just a nice little slice of extra awesome. He quickly finished off a bag of breakfast pastries (with Pabu's usual help) and walked up to sit down in his seat. It was an open air auditorium, only a few dozen rows for special guests to seat, but tons and tons of standing room that would probably have to accommodate the whole city and then some. The spot where the new Firelord would be crowned was an elevated stone platform, still a pretty good distance from even the best seats. Red and gold banners were stung like regal-looking clouds against the purple morning sky.

Bolin glanced from side to side. He was the only one there. A bit early, maybe? The ceremonies weren't set to begin for another twelve hours, but hey, better to be prepared. The sun had been up for, what, a whole hour now? He hung his head. Tenna was still asleep at home in bed. He could just hear her beautiful and insanely sensible voice telling him, "You knew it was a bad idea to come out at the crack of dawn. Now you're going to fall asleep during the actual ceremony."

He hung his head, wondering if there was any place around here he could get one of those new-fangled milky coffee drinks. He might need a few.

"Well, well, you one of the Avatar's friends?"

Bolin whipped around. He hadn't even noticed anyone around when he had first walked into the open space. But when he looked, he saw a woman in gold and red robes, arms behind her back, smiling at him. She had long black hair past her waist. Bolin guessed she was about the same age as him... which was... well, shoot. It was forty-six now, wasn't it? That was sorta depressing. And cool. If he had learned anything from being Korra's ally after all these years, it was that making it past eighty granted any bender automatic awesomeness. So being more than halfway there should have been kind of exciting.

"You don't talk much, do you?" the woman prompted.

"Erm, no," Bolin said, rubbing the back of his neck. "That is... I mean... who are you exactly?"

The woman found this question hilarious. Bolin could tell because she laughed so loud, it likely woke up half the palace.

"You're attending my big brother's coronation, and you don't know who am I? Well, I know he doesn't talk about me much, but--"

"Oh... oh-oh! You're that little sister of Iroh. Whose name I... totally remem... mem... Marah! It's Princess Marah, right?"

She laughed again, but at least with the volume lowered this time. " _Zarah_ , actually. But don't worry. I think my brother mentions me to as few people as possible. Really, the fact that you know I exist is quite the compliment."

"Yeah, um... what's up with that, exactly?"

She shrugged. "You could say there's some... friction between me and the rest of my family." Then with a smile, she glanced down at her watch. "Opps. Speaking of that, I'm due for a photo session." She turned to leave and added, "Enjoy the coronation."

#

When Shyu arrived back at the palace steps, he found his family waiting there for him. His father was dressed in the Firelord's robes, of course. His mother had on a beautiful red gown that looked a lot like one Shyu had seen in pictures of her wedding day. Kiki was wearing a red and gold kimono (again), and Kaja was dressed in robes that made him look like Firelord Jr. even more than he usually did. But there was another person there, too, and Shyu's face lit up at the sight of her.

"Aunt Zarah!" he said, hurrying up to meet her. Unlike the rest of the family, Aunt Zarah didn't care so much for the traditional stuff. She showed it, too. She wore was basically looked like an everyday women's business suit. And it wasn't even red. It was deep purple. In the Fire Nation royal family, you didn't get much more original than that.

"Shyu, come over here next to your sister," his mother called, with that tone she used when she was basically trying to stop an agni kai from breaking out. "The photographers are waiting."

Shyu saw the photographers. At least, looking off to the side, he did now. They were all fidgeting with a bunch of levers and gears on their stupid tripods and cameras. He'd had so much of them lately, they'd become like pieces of the background wherever he went.

"Okay, okay," Shyu sighed. He started to walk up to palace steps where his family was posed, only to notice that his aunt wasn't following.

"Aren't you part of the picture, too, Aunt Zarah?" he asked.

His aunt shrugged off the question.

"Our upcoming Firelord thinks I'm... dressed inappropriately," she said.

Shyu heard his father grunt. "You're dressed perfectly fine for someone on her way to work as a typist," he said. "You're not dressed correctly for a Fire Nation princess."

Kiki pouted at this comment. "I thought I was the princess."

Zarah smiled at her niece. "You are, dear. You're just the young princess, and I'm the old princess. You've got the better job, trust me."

"Oh, good," Kiki said, all smiles once again. Shyu didn't make any smart remarks--he couldn't really think of any, anyways--and went to stand next to his sister. The photographer called for them to "turn this way" and "turn that way" like they were a bunch of trained fire ferrets in a circus. Shyu responded in much the same way, too. Kiki soon whined about how the shoes their mother picked out for her were making her feet were hurt.

"That's Shyu's fault," Kaja said, chin high as the photographer told them to "turn this way again."

"How is it my fault?" Shyu muttered.

"This way!" the photographer snapped. Shyu turned.

"You were late. She'd been standing in those shoes almost an hour now. Of course her feet hurt."

"I _forgot_ , okay, Kaj? So just lay off?"

Kaja shrugged. "See, this is why I get the crown and you don't."

"That's enough from both of you!" said Iroh harshly. Shyu lowered the fist he'd had ready to punch Kaja in the face. What a fun photo that would have made.

Just as well their fight was stopped before it started, though. When one person could only thrown punches and the other could throw fire, it never ended well.

The photographer, apparently sympathetic to Kiki's footware woes, kept the rest of the session brief and said that he still had some unused photos from the day before he could send to the papers along with this session's pictures. Shyu's mom thanked him as he left.

 _He annoys us for two hours yesterday, annoys us again today, and then we thank him?_ Shyu thought. _How does that make any sense?_

Aunt Zarah seemed to find the whole scene very amusing. "Y'know, you might have had an easier time with this whole royal life thing if you had stayed in the palace with Mom. Y'know, done the prince thing?"

Iroh looked at her like she'd gone insane. "As opposed to you, running all over the countryside, doing whatever you pleased?"

"I told Mom I wanted no part of being Firelord," Zarah said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "You're the idiot who let her talk you into this lifestyle."

"Because I was the only other choice!" Iroh snapped.

Zarah rolled her eyes. "You've always got choices, Iroh. And you've got no one to blame but yourself when you make the dumb ones."

#

A few hours later, the pre-coronation festivities were well underway. Shyu watched a group of servants hurry about stringing banners and trying to find some way to make the spirit vines that wove around Republic City blend in with the very non-green of the Fire Nation decor. He offered to help them once or twice, but apparently, this was against protocol and they asked him to retake his seat. Nanami assured him that they appreciated his offer, but then she too got pulled into the busyness of the preparations. Shyu slumped in a chair in a secluded corner wishing he had a book to read. Or anything really that would help him not feel so out of place. There were few things that discomforted him more than mingling with Dad's friends. Somehow it always ended in a long discussion of just how exceptional everyone's bending was. He glanced around to see Suyin shaking hands with Dad.

"Congratulations again on your coronation, your highness. I hope Lady Izumi is still in good health?"

"She is. She should be along shortly," Iroh said with a nod.

"Hey! Hey, guys!" a grown man's voice called.

Shyu winced inwardly. The voice belonged to the Avatar's friend, Bolin. The man had gotten here even before the Fire Nation royal family, which was really weird. Also, he was what... forty years old? Yet half the time, he acted as mature as Shyu's little sister Kiki. And that was saying a lot.

"Come here!" Bolin called out again. "You have to check this out!" Finally he stepped around a giant statue of Avatar Aang and into everyone's view. He beckoned behind him to a girl dressed in the traditional clothes of the metal clan, but with a modern-looking ponytail and ribbon to give her hair a bit of rebellion. Shyu felt his face grow warm. Girls were, he hated to admit, still major uncharted territory for him.

"Okay, okay," Bolin said, standing in front of her. "What shape am I thinking of?" He balled his fists and scrunched his face up.

The girl looked clearly annoyed at whatever trick the crazy guy was trying to pull, sighing and massaging her temples. But then she closed her eyes and seemed to be concentrating on something.

"Square," she finally said.

Bolin's face lit up. "You're right! That is so cool! Try again!" This time he made a humming sound as he scrunched up his face.

"Rectangle," the girl said.

"Amazing! Okay, okay. One more time." He hummed particularly loud and after she got that glazed, highly focused look in her eye, the girl raised an eyebrow.

"Something you're mentally referring to as 'swirly whirly thingamadoodle.'"

"Super-pendous-total-absolutely-neat-errific!" Bolin squealed.

The girl blushed and smiled. "I told you a million times. I don't get a visual image of whatever's in your head. I just get glimpses of words you're thinking. And only if you're thinking them over and over. It's not really any practical use."

"But it's still so cool!"

"Dad!" a different girl's voice broke in, none to pleased. "Will you quit it! That's so embarrassing!"

She came up beside Bolin, cheeks as red as the cocktail dress she was wearing. Shyu swallowed, suddenly not quite sure where he should look. Lowering his eyes, he got a glimpse of bare legs, strappy gold shoes, and painted toes. Awkward.

He straightened and tried again, making an effort to focus on her face instead, the way his father always told him to do no matter how uncomfortable it made him. She kept her hair short and tousled, which was an odd contrast to the care she had taken with her cosmetics--ruby earrings, red fingernails to match her toes, and just a touch of red lip color. She wore eye liner too, just a touch, to accent her eyes. Not that they needed makeup to stand out. How many people had two different colored eyes?

Despite everything in his brain that said he would no doubt humiliate himself, Shyu found himself wondering if he'd get a chance to talk to her.

"Mica!" Bolin gaped. "What are you wearing?"

Mica snorted, unabashed. "A dress."

"That, young lady, is half a dress."

Mica didn't flinch. Didn't blush. Didn't even seem to care one iota what anyone thought of her scandalous attire. Least of all her own father. She rolled her duel-colored eyes at him.

"Really, Dad? You _really_ want to do this now?"

The metal clan girl took the opportunity to slip away. Shyu was actually considering doing the same until Bolin took a step sideways and effectively cut off his retreat.

"Where's your mother?" he demanded of his daughter. Then a bit softer her mumbled, "I can't believe she let you walk out of the house in--"

"She's over with Uncle Varrick talking with the metal clan lady. Suyin."

Bolin paused. "Wait a minute. Suyin... wasn't she the one who--" He gasped again and hurried off.

Shyu looked to Mica, thinking perhaps she had an explanation for her father's weird behavior. But she looked just as baffled as he did.

"Okay, then. Guess that settles that." She brushed her hands together, like winning an argument with her dad was just another task on her to-do list that she could now check off. She smirked when she noticed Shyu watching. She had a hint of mischief in her smile like anyone could talk to her and she'd listen.

Shyu exhaled slowly. No. No way was he getting himself all excited. Mica was probably just another super-bender who wouldn't even look his way. He'd heard a host of rumors about her. One that she could combustionbend like her mother. Another that she could lavabend like her father. Yet another said that she could make volcanoes explode by thinking about diet soda under a full moon on a Thursday night.

Well, at least he was pretty sure that last one wasn't true. But the lack of any concrete info on her bending did tell him one thing about it--she didn't go showing it off. Shyu smiled a bit. Maybe he could get up the nerve to talk to her, after all.

What would I say exactly? Before he had much of a chance to complete the thought, Mica flopped down in the chair beside him.

"Ugh," she grunted. "Parents. Can't believe they dragged me out here." She stretched out her arm, resting her elbow on the back of the empty chair beside her.

"Yeah... um, mine too," Shyu replied.

"Really?" She looked him over curiously. "You got in with the early crowd, then. Who are your folks?"

"Uh..." he began. He certainly didn't want to make her look stupid. But there wasn't really a non-snarky way to say, my folks include the guy getting the crown.

"I'm... uh... I'm Prince Shyu," he finally got out.

"Oh, that's you? That's cool, I guess." She folded her arms behind her head, yawned, and stretched out her legs. Shyu stared dumbstruck. Anyone who had met him the past few weeks had at least given him some kind of reaction. Sometimes it was disappointment that they weren't talking to the crown prince. Sometimes demands to tell his father to "go back to licking President Raiko's boots." But just being "cool" with him? That hadn't happened since Dad's announcement.

"Um, you did hear what I said, right?" he asked. It sounded moronic as it came out of his mouth and the way Mica raised one eyebrow at him afterwards didn't help matters.

"Yeah. You're the prince. You want a medal or something?"

"No," Shyu said, turning red. "I only... I thought..."

"What? Thought that since you're royalty and I'm not I should be showering you with attention?"

"No, I didn't mean that, either!" Shyu cried. Mako and a bunch of security guards looked their way with cautious eyes. But apparently seeing that Shyu was only yelling at Mako's niece made the man relax. Mako went back to chatting with Ms. Sato and the Avatar, and the security team visibly eased.

Shyu sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. Really. I haven't had a normal conversation in a while and you took me by surprise." He dropped his hand to his side. "To be honest, I kinda of miss normal conversations. I'm sorry I botched it."

She didn't make any reaction at first. Didn't even look at him. Her eyes fixed on the elaborate decorations in front of her: the banners, the flags, the gathering choir rehearsing the Fire Nation anthem.

Not wanting to make himself look any more foolish, Shyu began glancing around for somewhere else to sit. But before he could move from his seat, she spoke again.

"Hey. The whole... not living up to your folks thing? I get that."

He leaned back in his chair. "Wait, you do?"

"Well, probably not the same way you do," she said with a small laugh. "But I do have a pair of adored-around-the-world actors for parents. That's gotta count for some amount of pressure, right?"

He smiled. "Well, I mean... it's not royalty, but I guess it's close enough." She gave him a weird look again and his cheeks felt like they were on fire. "That was a joke," he added quickly.

The clarification sent her bursting into laughter. It was embarrassing, but it seemed a better alternative to insulting her all over again. Shyu felt a little of his old self... the self that hadn't gotten lost in all this coronation business, coming to the surface.

"So," he went on, determined to keep the conversation going. "Your parents want you to be an actress, too?"

"Sure they want it. I want it. But it hasn't really been happening."

Shyu was about to ask if people just didn't think her talent measured up to Bolin and Tenna's, and thankfully realized just how insensitive that was before he actually said it.

"That... stinks," he finally said.

"You're flaming right it stinks," she said. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "I mean, I'd get it if I just couldn't pull it off. But I'm good. And no one ever gets to see it because of my bending."

"Your... bending stops you from acting?"

She looked a bit embarrassed at his statement. At least, she stopped staring him down and seemed to take a bit more interest in the floor. Shyu was actually kind of impressed with himself. Usually with any sorts of conversations with other teens, he was the one who ended up staring at the floor.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I mean, if it's something you don't want to talk about."

The suggestion that she could be embarrassed or ashamed of anything seemed to jostle her out of her minor slump. "Nah," she said, waving away the idea. "It's not like that. It's just frustrating, is all."

Shyu found himself unable to hold back his curiosity any longer. "So, um... how does your bending work exactly?"

At this question, she got a gleeful smile on her face. "Got some open space away from here? It works better with a demonstration."

Shyu rubbed his chin. He could think of a couple good open-space-type-places around the area, and the paparazzi hadn't gotten too crazy yet. If he had any plans to wander off, now was probably the best time to execute them.

"Sure," he said. "Follow me."


	8. Personal History

Tenna shifted in place, trying to find the right excuse to edge away from the metal clan woman who had spent the last ten minutes rambling on about her great city and her great family and just how great everything was. Tenna didn't even mind that so much. Suyin seemed like a decent sort. The paparazzi rabidly snapping pictures from the planter behind her, however...

"Well, it was lovely to meet you, Suyin," she piped up at last.

"Yes, you too."

But Tenna barely made it two steps when--

"Hey there!" a familiar voice called, subtle as a locomotive. "If it isn't two of my favorite ladies."

A bead of sweat formed on Tenna's forehead. "Hello, Varrick."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, hugging her and Suyin close like old pals. "Tenna. Suyin. Catching up, I see."

"Catching up?" Su questioned.

Varrick's face shifted suddenly from suave to confused. Releasing his grip, he pointed between the two of them. "Haven't you two met before?"

Su and Tenna exchanged glances.

"No," said Tenna. "Not until a few minutes ago, at least."

Varrick scratched his head. "Huh. Thought you got in a scuffle a while back. Wasn't it--Oh, no, wait!" He slapped his forehead with one hand. "That was the other combustionbender."

"Other combustionbender?" Tenna didn't remember any rumors of one of her compatriots falling to a metalbender. Granted, it was a long time ago, and she generally tried to forget most things having to do with her past. Still, from the way Varrick was talking, that sounded like the kind of news that would travel. It wasn't every day, after all, that a "weapon" was slain in single combat.

Varrick rambled on. "Yeah, that one that was all trying to murder Korra and stuff. Man, you took care of her good!" He nudged Su in the ribs before turning to Tenna. "Su here threw some metal armor around the gal's head during a blast. Bam! Whew, I bet that was a mess to clean up afterwards! Am I right?"

Tenna's stomach churned. P'li. It was P'li he was talking about. P'li who had been the closest thing she had to a friend back when she was a...

No. Tenna swallowed. She would not call herself a weapon. Never again. She was a human being. A woman. A wife. A mother.

She was grateful that P'li had broken away, too. Even if her friend had ultimately made the wrong choices, at least P'li died a free woman. Tenna tried very hard to focus on that instead of the images Varrick had so vividly described of P'li's final moments. At this point, Suyin looked about as queasy as Tenna felt. Trying to chat with a woman whose friend you brutally murdered had that effect, apparently. She tried to excuse herself politely, muttering. "Oh, I think I hear my daughter Opal calling..."

"Wait--" Tenna blurted before she could stop herself. "You're Opal's mother?" She felt herself starting to sweat. As if things weren't awkward enough today. Now she had to find out that Su was mother to her husband's ex-girlfriend. Suyin raised a nervous eyebrow as Varrick's eyes lit up with sudden realization.

"Oh, yeah, she is!" he laughed. "Small world." He gestured to Tenna, grinning at Su all the while as if this was the most amusing coincidence in the history of coincidences. "Tenna is Bolin's wife."

The tables suddenly turned, Tenna forced a smile as Suyin made a sort of "Oh, so _you're_ the one" gesture with her mouth.

Thank the stars Bolin chose that exact moment to come up behind her, nervous and out of breath. He had probably rushed over trying to prevent this disaster of a conversation. Tenna told him with a look that he was about ten minutes too late.

"Oh, so I see you two have met." He cleared his throat. "Hey, Su."

"Bolin." Su nodded.

Bolin shifted. "Right so...um, beautiful day for this, huh?"

"It is, isn't it?" Tenna broke in right on cue, before Varrick had a chance to blurt out something else inappropriate. "And I could actually use some fresh air."

"Good idea," breathed Bolin. They strode away arm in arm, dodging the paparazzi on their way out. Outside they strolled into a fountain-filled courtyard. Aromatic flowers scented the air. Tenna breathed in gratefully.

"Varrick?" Bolin asked.

"Varrick," Tenna affirmed. "I swear, the man just doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut."

She leaned into his side, shivering a little despite her heavy clothes and the warmth outside. P'li's death was going to give her nightmares--she knew it already. Just what she needed right now. Between Mica and their money situation, Tenna was having enough trouble sleeping as it was.

Bolin kissed her cheek.

"Come on," he said, gesturing across the courtyard to a group of familiar faces. "Let's go see what Team Avatar is up to."

They approached the seating area where Korra, Asami, and Mako were chatting it up.

"...her parents are Opal and Edwin Beifong," Korra was saying as she gestured to a Metal Clan girl with ribboned hair. "Edwin was just a kid at Harmonic Convergence, but he acquired truth sensing. He's pretty well-known for being astounding at it."

She turned to acknowledge Bolin and Tenna with a wave, and Tenna nodded back at her.

"But what Edwin's daughter does isn't quite the same thing as truth-sensing," Mako said. "She can just sense thoughts without the person saying a thing."

"I know," Korra said. "Not to mention you've got Nanami who can just knock out people's bending altogether." She motioned to the woman, who was trying to get the decorations organized. Nanami gave a nervous wave then turned back to her work of making sure the banners didn't collapse on the Fire Sages mid-coronation. "It's amazing the way bending has evolved over the years I've been the Avatar," Korra continued. "I can't even imagine what things will be like by the time I retire."

"The avatar doesn't retire," Tenna pointed out. "You mean to say by the time you die." It was a bit distasteful, she realized a second later. But Korra was her friend--she'd forgive her. And anyway, it wasn't like she was lying.

"Okay, yes, but I wasn't planning on doing that for a while yet." She coughed loudly. "Hey, Bolin, how's your show going?"

Tenna felt Bolin stiffen beside her. And nearby, Mako's mouth twitched a hair. Tenna forced her face to stay impassive. But inside all she wanted to do right then was cry.

Korra didn't notice. When her question didn't jumpstart a conversation like she intended it to, she tried to compensate by talking some more. "I, um, think it's hilarious how your character keeps saying, 'I wanna be in the movers' and then... y'know, you are in the movers. In real life." Again no one responded. The conversation was almost painful to listen to. Bolin took the cue. "It's, uh... it's going great," he said. "Everything's just _fan_ -tastic. Life couldn't be better. Yes, indeed."

Tenna groaned to herself. For all his skill in acting, Bolin was really awful at lying to his friends. He did it anyway, though. Because they didn't need their family problems broadcasted in front of the entire world. Which is exactly what would happen if even one of the paparazzi creeping around this place happened to overhear their conversation.

Tenna felt a small ache in her chest. With any luck, she wouldn't have to lie for much longer. If the rumors were true, Lady Izumi would be arriving at any moment. Then, when all this coronation chaos was over, Tenna wanted nothing more than to have a cup of tea and a nice long honest conversation with her best friend.

 

#

A few minutes later, Shyu and Mica were out and about in the back gardens at the Four Elements. With plenty of earthbenders on staff, the garden statuary seemed to change on a semi-regular basis to reflect whatever major event was happening at the time. In this case, a series of sculptures in the shape of the Firelord's crown were nestled among bushes of bright red and orange flowers.

The walking path was made of pebbles, rather than paved, and Shyu watched curiously as she picked up two rocks by her feet, weighing each one carefully in her hands. The first rock was nothing more than a tiny pebble while the other took up most of her palm.

"So, here's the scoop," she said. "I'm technically an earthbender. But my bending also lets me use my chi as fuel to manipulate the energy in the rock." She held up the tiny pebble and held it between her thumb and forefinger. A light flared like she had lit a tiny sparkler. She tossed the rock a few inches and it gave a little pop like a firecracker.

"The more rock, the bigger the explosion," she went on. Then, she held up the bigger rock and repeated the process. This time, Shyu got to see how her bending worked a bit more clearly. The rock glowed for a moment, and as Mica tossed it up it burst apart, sparks flickering like diamond dust before dissolving away.

"Cool!" he exclaimed, then quickly collected himself. What was he doing, oohing and ahhing and some new bending display? He sounded just like Avatar Korra. Or Mica's dad, Bolin. Neither idea made him too happy. "I mean... that's nice, I guess," he finally said. Then he looked around at the obnoxious stone crowns all around them. He gestured to the nearest one. "Think you can blow that up?"

He hadn't meant it all that seriously, but Mica stroked her chin like she was giving it her full consideration.

"I could," she mused. "But it would take about twenty minutes to charge. And the explosion would probably kill me... if I didn't keel over from exhaustion first."

"Huh?" Shyu asked.

Mica gave a shrug. "Pooling chi drains my energy. No energy, no way to make things go boom." As if to offer proof of her claim, her stomach growled loudly, and she gave it a pat. "Speaking of drained, I didn't get brunch this morning, and that little demo burned some serious calories. I don't suppose you know if they're serving food at this thing?"

"I--" Shyu shuttered. He had no idea how to take this girl. She was obviously proud of her powers to some extent, but she'd also been talking about how they were ruining her life a short while ago. He wasn't sure whether to sympathize with her or get thoroughly infuriated by her whining about something he could never have. "I, um... I should get back to the crown... crowning thing. The coronation. For my dad and stuff."

She laughed at this but not rudely. More like someone who stumbled with words all the time and just appreciated finding a kindred stumbler. "It's okay. I have to talk to someone anyway." And with that, she turned and jogged away, leaving Shyu feeling embarrassed and kind of happy all at the same time.

#

Mica managed to catch Varrick's eye just as everyone started getting seated. She didn't have to pretend to smile this time. Mica loved her crazy, eccentric uncle. Not just because he invented nifty gizmos for her (though those were pretty awesome). Mica loved him because he was one of the few people on this earth who didn't get offended or embarrassed by her when she blurted out exactly what was on her mind.

"Hey, kiddo!" he greeted her with open arms. Mica threw herself into them, and he swept her around like in one of those dramatic reunion scenes in the movers. "Wow, love the dress. Very femme fatal," he said when she was safely back on the ground.

Mica grinned. "Thanks, I thought so, too. Though Dad wasn't too thrilled..."

Varrick laughed. "Well, of course he wasn't. If he liked it, then you obviously wouldn't. It's classic parent opposition."

Mica nodded agreement. Good old Uncle Varrick. Thank the stars he understood her. She sincerely hoped she wasn't about to ruin their rapport with what she was about to ask.

"So as long as we're on the topic of things my parents don't like but I do... I need to ask you a favor."

"Shoot."

Yet another reason Mica loved Uncle Varrick--he wasn't afraid to be blunt. There were no fake smiles or masked feelings. He didn't sit there and pretend to be on her side through one conversation then turn around and gossip about her behind her back. No. If Varrick didn't approve of her choice, he told her up front and to her face. It was the same now, the moment she mentioned Dino.

"Sorry kiddo, no can do."

"But why?"

"Because the kid's a punk."

Mica frowned. That was the same word her father always used, and it pissed her off hearing it come out of Uncle Varrick's mouth. "So he's not perfect," she tossed up her hands, "Mom wasn't either, and you still gave her a chance." She was starting to lose control. Her fingers twitched, yearning to vent her frustration on the nearest rock. She drew a breath and exhaled slowly. Time for a new strategy. "Come on, Uncle Varrick," she tried again, smoothing her voice into the calm, rational tone her mom used to mask her temper. "What about helping the little guy? Isn't that kinda your thing?"

That hit a nerve. Mica could see the indecision in his face. Time for her secret weapon. She looked up at him with big, sad eyes and made her lip quiver just so. If there was one thing she knew Uncle Varrick couldn't resist, it was her sad face.

"Pllleeeaaase, Uncle Varrick. For me?" She made her voice quaver a little, like she might burst into tears at any second. She could actually make herself cry, too, if necessary. But she doubted it would be. Uncle Varrick was a sucker for her sad face. Had been since she was three.

Today was no exception. "Ah, don't give me that face...with the eyes and the tears...okay, fine." He let out a long sigh of resignation. "If it means that much to you, I'll give the kid a shot."

Mica's heart fluttered. "Oh, thank you! Thank--"

"At-ah," Varrick waggled a finger in front of her. "Don't go thanking me yet. First he needs to prove he can handle himself on the set. That means doing what I say when I say. If he can do that for a few months and doesn't cause any trouble, then maybe, just maybe, he can start as an extra." He extended a hand as if signing off on a business deal. "That's my offer. Take or leave it."

Dino following Uncle Varrick's orders. Not exactly a recipe for success. But it was something, at least.

"I'll take it," said Mica, mimicking his posture and clasping his hand all formal-like before giving his hand one exaggerated shake.

"Mica, there you are." Her mother's voice piped up drawing both her and Varrick's gaze. "Come on. It's time to get seated." Her mom looked aside, indicating the elaborately decorated platform and speaker podium. Mica caught a flash of movement, then somebody waving ecstatically. Was that...?

"Your father managed to save us places right up front," her mother confirmed. Mica groaned. Sure enough that crazy waving person was none other than her dear old dad.

"Yay," she said with fake enthusiasm to match her equally fake smile.

#

When Mica first sat down, she thought there might be a chance of some excitement. Not everyone was thrilled about Iroh taking the throne, and there were actually a few protesters holding handmade signs to say as much. The signs had various complaints against the monarchy, but the most common demand seemed to be, "Ban bloodbending now!" She craned her neck as she watched her Uncle Mako walk over and have some sort of conversation with them. One or two yelled at him, but then they moved peacefully back to wherever on the street he was directing them to.

Mica couldn't see them from her spot this close to the stage anymore, leaving her with no choice but to watch the Fire Sage who now climbed the steps. The man looked to be over a hundred, so she kept her fingers crossed that he'd tire out halfway through the ceremony. _Sorry, folks. Looks like we've got to cut this short. All hail the new Firelord. Bye, now. Thanks for coming._

"Let us now sing the Fire Nation anthem," warbled the old man into a squealing microphone. Though how they expected this old bird to sing anything was beyond her. The royal family stood, indicating that the rest of the audience do the same. Then they started to sing.

_"Oh, Fire Nation! My flame burns for thee..."_

Mica imagined this would have sounded very impressive at the Fire Palace--the royal family leading their people in song to usher in their new Firelord. It was both symbolic and poetic, which the entertainer in Mica could definitely appreciate. The trouble was this wasn't the Fire Nation. In total, only a few dozen citizens of Republic City were even born in the Fire Nation, and of them, only a handful had stayed in the country long enough to learn the traditional songs. Her mother knew them, of course, and sang along proudly accompanied by Aunt Korra, who pretty much had to learn all the songs or else look like an unsupportive Avatar. Aunt Asami, Uncle Mako, and her Dad made do with mumbling noises that were almost in key with the lyrics.

Mica sang, too. Not out of pride for the Fire Nation. Not to cover up her Dad and Uncle's flames-awful singing. Not even to show her Mom that, yes, she did in fact memorize the lyrics on the car ride over. Mica joined in because she loved music, and she just couldn't help herself. She could already hear her voice carrying above the others--practiced and beautiful like a finely honed instrument. Her instrument. She hit every note spot on. And when the anthem rose in a crescendo, Mica sang out the final high note a entire octave above everyone. Her finish brought approving glances from the old Fire Sage and even some of the royal family. She saw Firelord Izumi nod appreciatively.

Prince Shyu had his eyes fixed on her as well, his eyebrows raised. No surprise there. Mica always did had a knack for shocking people. To his merit, he didn't run away screaming when he learned she could essentially turn rocks into lit dynamite, which was more then she could say for most people. Shyu had even given her the courtesy of an audience and--despite some obvious personal feelings on the matter--he had waited to see for himself what she was about before making judgments.

He was doing it again now. He continued clapping a second longer than the rest of his family before taking his seat. Mica, in turn, offered the slightest curtsy. It was a bit presumptuous, she knew. She had so few friends...maybe it was too much to hope that she might have found one in Shyu.

Back on stage, two more Fire Sages hefted an enormous tome onto the speaking podium. The old man blew off a layer of dust before opening it.

"Now," he said in a voice that sounded like a dying goat-monkey. "As we gather together at this time to celebrate the crowning of our new Firelord, we are reminded of our past. One cannot move into the future without honoring the past. And we honor the past today with our traditional reading of the life histories of every Firelord that has ever lived..."

Mica's enthusiasm died. "Ugh," she groaned. "I knew it!"

"Shh!" her mother hissed.

After about the third Firelord, the mood of the audience had gone from revered quiet to just plain bored. Even her father, who had been practically jumping out of his socks excited the day before, looked like he was going to fall asleep any second. Not a bad idea, actually. Mica leaned her chin on her elbow, eyes drooping. On stage the royal family shifted about in their seats, trying not to look uncomfortable. No easy task, that was for sure. What kind of reputation would Iroh be setting if he started yawning at his own coronation? And that went for the royal princes and princess, too. Mica felt a swell of pity for the young heirs. Especially Shyu--with his utter lack of social graces. What was it like for him, being watched constantly? Not able to take a single step without some promotion-hungry journalist plastering it all over the front page of the newspaper.

 _Ugh_ , Mica cringed. _It's like living in an entire city of paparazzi._

She knew that annoyance. All too well, in fact. The difference was, if one of those shutterbugs bothered her, at least Mica could set the eel-hounds on them. Or sneak away to the scrap yard. Or blow up their camera if she was really desperate.

She wondered. Had Shyu ever gotten the chance to quit living for the cameras and just plain _live_ for a change?

The old Fire Sage's microphone squealed, startling Mica from her daze. Flames, what she wouldn't give for a coffee. On her other side, her father gave a muffled snore and next to him, Uncle Mako was trying to hide a yawn. Only her mom sat primly in place like a model Fire Nation citizen. It was disturbing sometimes how intently her mom could focus--almost as if her life depended on it. She did snap out of her reverie when Mica rose out of her chair.

"I'm going to get some coffee. You guys want any?" Mica extended a tantalizing peace offer bound to win over supporters. Sure enough Aunt Korra was the first to jump on board.

"I'll take one," she piped up, giving Tenna a disarming smile.

"Just green tea for me, please," said Aunt Asami after Korra gave her an encouraging rib nudge. Uncle Mako was too proud to say anything, but Mica could see the caffeine craving etched on his face, which was as good a request as any.

Lastly, Mica nudged her dad, who woke mid-snore. "Huh? What? I wasn't sleeping!"

"Coffee?" she asked.

"Mmm...yes, please," mumbled her dad. That put the score at four against one. Not even her mom could beat that argument, and she knew it.

Her mother massaged between her eyes and around her forehead tattoo. "Fine, Mica. Just make it quick. And don't blow anything up," she hastily added.

Mica rolled her eyes, not daring to admit that the thought of "accidentally" setting off a few fireworks prematurely had crossed her mind. "Sure. Fine. Whatever." She started to leave, muttering, "Though if you ask me, this ceremony could use some excitement."


	9. Disturbance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! Big news this week! It's the release day for Katrina's first novel, _My Best Friend Runs Venus_! You can find out more at [MBFRV.com](http://mbfrv.com). Thanks for the support, and now back to your regularly scheduled fanfic...

_Man, this is boring._ Shyu slumped in his chair, grateful for once to be seated off to the side and away from the ever-watchful camera lenses. At least here he didn't have to pretend to be interested in the old Fire Sage's every word, unlike his parents, grandmother, and brother in the row ahead. Beside him, Kiki entertained herself by plucking flowers from one of the decorations and weaving them intricately in her hair. _She_ could get away with it. Everything the Fire Princess did was adorable. If Shyu tried to fiddle with the decorations, he'd be scolded.

He looked at his feet. The platform was made of a shimmery marble with hints of different colors. Shyu traced the patterns, slowly drowning out his stiff legs, the shifting of the crowd, and the old man spitting every time he said the world "past." He had just finished following a ribbon of silver around the legs of his Dad's chair when a pebble skittered across the marble and bumped him in the foot.

_What the--_

He stared at the rock then jumped a bit when it exploded with a tiny _pop_.

No one noticed, nor even turned to acknowledge that he had moved.

Another pebble, another pop. This time Shyu actually saw where it came from. Off stage, half-concealed behind a decorative statue, Mica waved at him. No. Not a wave. A summons. _She can't actually want me to leave._

When Shyu didn't move she gestured again, harder. Her mouth opened forming silent words. _Come on!_

Sweat beaded on Shyu's forehead. If only it were that easy. The truth was, he'd gladly go if not for, well, his father becoming Firelord.

He gestured back at her, indicating his father in the row ahead. _I can't--my dad is getting the crown!_ He made a mock crowning motion over his head. Mica rolled her eyes, pointed to him, then mimicked the motion, mouthing _are_ you _getting the crown?_

Shyu blushed. This had to be one of the stupidest arguments he'd ever had. And yet, why did he feel like he was losing?

Because he was.

Mica was right. He wasn't getting the crown. Flames, he'd be lucky if anyone mentioned him today. He wondered... would anyone even notice if he just got up and left?

Mica was still waiting, tapping her foot impatiently. It was now or never.

Shyu took one last nervous look around, steeled himself, then bent over as if to pick something off the floor. Shielded by his family in the front row, he crept silently out of his chair. It felt thrilling, he wouldn't deny. Not that he was going to tell Mica that. She looked pleased and, in fact, a little surprised when he finally slunk his way over.

"Nice moves dodging those cameras," she whispered.

"Cameras?" Shyu's stomach sank. _Don't tell me some reporter actually recorded me sneaking off!_

He swallowed. Whatever Mica wanted, he hoped it was worth the trouble. Best find out. "So, what is it you wa--"

Some unseen movement startled Mica, and before he could protest, she yanked him quickly behind the statue. "Shh!" She held a finger to her mouth, then after a few seconds, she beckoned for him to follow again. She led on, carefully skirting around the royal guards and police like someone who had very obviously done so before.

Only after they had edged their way around the crowds and into a narrow alley between two buildings did Mica finally relax and stop whispering. "Okay, sorry. What were you saying?"

He looked around the dingy ally, feeling his skin crawl. "Is there a reason you pulled me out of my father's coronation?"

"Oh, that." She shrugged. "I was gonna go out and get coffee. Figured you had to be bored up there and thought you might want to tag along."

He was bored. Absurdly so. But that wasn't really the point now, was it. "I have to get back up there. Dad will flip if he turns around and sees an empty chair."

"Oh, relax. We'll be back before the old geezer can say 'and next we come to Firelord Sozin.'" She hunched and croaked out the last part, mimicking the old Fire Sage to a T. Shyu snickered. He couldn't help it.

"So, you coming or what?" Mica asked.

Shyu weighted the options in his head. Sneak off for a coffee with no guards or reporters breathing down his neck for the first time in... well...ever. Or sneak back onto that stage and listen to an old goat-monkey drone for the next two hours. He'd be in trouble either way if he got caught. But assuming he didn't... sipping coffee and having real conversation with Mica would be infinitely more entertaining.

"You're sure we'll be back in time?" he finally asked.

Mica was already moving. "Oh, yeah. My bike's super fast. Plus, no traffic. It'll be a breeze."

 _Bike?_ Shyu blinked. "You have a motorcycle?"

"Yep," Mica beamed over her shoulder. "My boyfriend Dino and I built it from scrap."

"Boyfriend?" Shyu was starting to feel like a parrot-duck. He wasn't sure why he was surprised. Why shouldn't Mica be dating someone like a normal teenager? Never mind that. She was a _cool_ teenager.

Shyu, on the other hand, had never considered dating. He wasn't smart or athletic. Nor was he a suave charmer or a class clown. He wasn't even a decent bender. To the girls, like everyone else, he was merely "the other prince" or "Kaja's brother." And _if_ he got up the nerve to ask a girl out and _if_ by some miracle she said yes, his dad would plan out every detail down to the minute and send a compliment of guards along "just to be safe."

They exited the alley, rounded the corner and continued on for another block, backtracking the way they had come. They weren't close to the coronation exactly, not from this angle. But Mica did seem unusually intent on going into the more "spirity" portion of the district.

 _Probably just another shortcut,_ Shyu decided. "So, your boyfriend...he's a mechanic, then?" he asked as Mica gauged the stability of a hip-high root.

"Mechanic, vehicle-enthusiast, soon-to-be actor..." She backed up a few paces, slipped off her shoes, then sprinted and jumped. She landed atop the root like a cat.

 _Flames, did she really just do that?_ "Sounds like a great guy." Shyu grunted as he hefted himself up. He nearly tripped on the way over. Thankfully Mica caught his arm.

"He is," she agreed with odd appreciation in her voice. Like this wasn't something she was used to hearing. "Maybe the three of us should hang out sometime. I know a great little diner. It would be fun."

"Yeah, it would be," Shyu admitted. "But...I'm not really allowed."

Mica cocked her head. "Not allowed to drive or not allowed to go out?"

"Both."

"Wait--seriously?"

"No. I mean I can go out, just not without guards." How had his mother phrased it? "I'm not supposed to go gallivanting about the city willy-nilly."

Flames, that sounded just as lame now as it did when he was eight. Mica thought so too, because she gawked with laughter. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. You're what, sixteen?"

"Seventeen."

"Seventeen! And you're not allowed to run out and grab a bite to eat without some suits holding your hand?"

"It's...kind of a royalty thing, I guess." His ears burned--getting hot--mostly from embarrassment but also a bit of rage. He had spent his entire life listening to people tell him he wasn't being 'princely' enough. Now suddenly he was being _too_ princely?

Mica leapt to the ground and slipped her shoes back on before offering him a hand down. She must have seen how upset he was, because something in her face softened. It wasn't pity exactly. That look Shyu recognized. This was something deeper. Like she honesty and truly understood what it was like to be outcast.

"Tell you what," she said at last. "Once all this coronation business is over, I'll teach you to drive."

Shyu's heartbeat spiked. Was that even possible? "How--I mean when?"

"I'll swing by after school. I'm assuming the guards don't follow you there, right?"

"No, but--"

"Then it's settled. I'll meet you in the back parking lot after last period. If your folks ask, just tell them you're doing an extra-curricular activity or something. That usually works."

Shyu looked at his feet, torn. He wasn't the type to go and lie to his folks. But then again...this wouldn't be a total lie. And Mica did have a valid point. He was seventeen, almost an adult. Surely his folks didn't expect for him to live with them forever, did they? Especially since he wasn't the one being groomed to be the next Firelord. "I'll think about it," he finally said.

"That's the spirit!" She smacked him on the back. Not hard, per say, but harder than he was used to. He flinched a bit, but at least he didn't yelp.

Mica took no notice. "Speaking of spirits..." She peered through the vines, shielding her eyes. "I see the portal. We're close."

Why the heck Mica had decided to park her bike near the spirit portal he didn't know. But then, nothing this girl did seemed to make sense. One second she was laughing at him, and the next she was offering him driving lessons.

"Hey, wait a minute...how do you know about the back parking lot? You don't even go to RC prep."

"Oh. I...um...I used to go there when I was a kid," she stubbed her toe on an unseen root and cussed.

"Oh," Shyu said, even though something wasn't adding up. Mica's folks were mover stars--it only made sense she'd be sent to private school. So why did they pull her out when she was a kid? He was tempted to ask but found Mica preoccupied. She was studying some very un-spirity-looking imprints on the mossy ground.

"Huh...that's weird. It should have been parked right around--"

A crack sounded, startling the two of them. Something moving in the vines? No? The vines themselves! As they emerged into the portal clearing, Shyu saw a large tangle of vines being drawn to the portal. Oddly, they seemed to be twisting around something...Shyu could see glimpse of red and black metallic paint.

The instant Mica saw the writhing mass, she let out a strangled cry. "Those things have my bike!" She ran over and grabbed a vine wrapped around her handlebars, pulling hard until it tore. The vines shuddered and twisted up faster, like a disturbed nest of fire-snakes.

"Mica, get away!" Shyu didn't hide his panic. All he could think about was the bedtime story his mother used to tell of naughty children being snatched by spirit vines and entrapped forever in cocoons.

Mica must not have heard that one. She glared over her shoulder at him. "Not without my bike!"

One of the vines grabbed for her ankle, forcing Mica to pause and rip it away. The rest yanked her bike along the ground, dragging it ever closer to the glowing portal.

_If she keeps this up, she'll be dragged in too!_

Shyu stepped as close as he dared and yelled, "Stop, please! It's too dangerous!" But Mica either didn't hear him, or just didn't listen.

"Let go, you stupid plant!" She snarled at the vines, ripping and tearing, but for every one she damaged, two more took their place.

One of the vines caught her wrist, yanking her off her feet as the rest plowed onward pulling her bike halfway into the glowing portal. Mica writhed and twisted and finally managed to claw her hand free. She broke into a sprint as soon as she touched the ground and flung herself at her bike just as the vines gave a final hard tug.

"Don't!" Shyu yelled, horror-struck as both Mica and her motorcycle disappeared into the glowing pillar. "Mica!"

No answer.

"Mica, can you hear me?"

No answer.

_Oh, flames! What do I do?_

He needed to go for help. If he found Avatar Korra...But how could he? She was at the coronation with his family and all the cameras! If he barged in in the middle of the ceremony, his dad's big day would be ruined, and it would be all his fault. But he couldn't just stand here and do nothing. Mica needed help.

 _She can't have gone far,_ he told himself as he forced his trembling legs forward. _She's probably right inside the entrance. We'll free her bike and get out of there, and no one will ever know._

He swallowed hard. The longer he waited, the harder this was going to be. Shyu drew a deep breath, braced himself, then ran into the portal before he could change his mind.

#

Kiki had run out of flowers to play with. This was extremely inconvenient. She'd been able to survive the old boring man's lecture up until this point, but they were still a few generations off from her dad's big moment. What was she supposed to do now?

"...and thus ended the sixty-seventh year of the great Firelord Zuko's reign, which was exactly sixty-two years longer than the reign of his father, the also-great-but-admittedly-malevolent Firelord Ozai..."

Kiki began swinging her feet widely, accidentally bumping the chair in front of her. Her grandmother happened to be sitting in that chair, and turned around to see what had happened. Kiki lowered her head and blushed. "Sorry, Grandma," she whispered as quietly as she could.

Grandma Izumi smiled. "It's all right," she whispered back. "This lecture is a bit long for you, isn't it?"

Kiki nodded adamantly. Her grandmother leaned over like she had some amazing secret to share. "Yes, well, feel free to nap during the next part. I hear the tale of the first nonbending Firelord is especially boring."

Kiki covered her mouth so that her suppressed giggle wouldn't make any actual noise. Grandma Izumi looked curiously over the back row and her gaze fell to the empty seat next to Kiki. Her eyes widened when she noticed it, and Kiki got a not-so-good feeling in her stomach.

"Young lady," Grandma Izumi said sternly. "Why is your brother's chair empty?"

Kiki shrugged. "He left with a girl."

"He did _what_?"

The Fire Sage coughed loudly, drawing both their attention and continued with his lecture.

"...and thus, Firelord Zuko's daughter Firelord Izumi inherited the crown, which she would wear for the following twenty-four years--"

His voice cut off. Grandma Izumi sat up her seat. "Well, I know my reign wasn't exciting," she whispered. "But I didn't think the summary would be that short." Kiki leaned forward to get a better view and realized that the old Fire Sage was actually still talking, but his microphone had ceased to function. A split second later, all the lights on the stage went out.


	10. The Spirit Portal

Shyu had no clue where he was. One second he was holding onto Mica's back for dear life; the next he was floating in a suspension of somehow breathable purple water and thick, waxy orange ooze. He tried to step forward, only to watch the ooze melt into solid ground and the water form into a purple sky.

"Well, only two possibilities, I guess," he muttered to himself, looking around at the orange wasteland. "Either we crashed through that freaky herbalist's shop and I'm high as a kite right now. Or we crashed into the spirit portal." He looked down at his feet and the ground let out a burping sound. This opened up a hole in the orange earth, out of which crawled some glowing green creatures that looked like miniature gator-sloths. One of them turned and looked up at Shyu, only to scrunch up its face in disgust.

"Ew," it said in a hoarse, squeaky voice. "Human stinky." It then went back to crawling away from Shyu as fast as it could. Which wasn't very fast at all. Shyu felt bad for it and took a few steps away to give it some space.

"Okay," he muttered. "Looks like it's the spirit world, then." He surveyed the "land," if that was a good name for it. He'd heard plenty of stories about this place. Not the least of which involved tales about how near-impossible it was to orient yourself anywhere. The scenery was always changing, and if some mischievous spirits noticed how important it was for you to get out, they might very well entertain themselves for the day by trying to keep you in.

 _So, what exactly am I supposed to do,_ Shyu thought. There wasn't a sun, but it felt a lot warmer here than it did in Republic City. Shyu pulled off his outer shirt and shoved it under his arm, leaving only his tank top on.

In a weird way, he wasn't totally sorry about coming here. Kiki had always wanted to, even as a little kid. She'd said it sounded "fun and pretty." Their dad, however, had said no. It had seemed strange to Shyu at the time, since Dad pretty much indulged Kiki's every whim. He took it to mean that the place was actually dangerous. Which, of course, made it all the more interesting now that he was here.

He took a few more steps forward. The landscape seemed to be developing more personality up ahead. There were more bluish creatures alongside shrubs of every color imaginable. The closer Shyu got, the more he felt like he was exploring the innards of a kaleidoscope.

When the ground started to show some flowers sprouting up, Shyu knelt down to examine them further. He held out his finger to stoke the petals. They felt cold like metal. He lifted his hand and saw a flicker a movement. A glowing red butterfly had come to hover over the flower.

"Hey, there," Shyu said to it. "Guess you aren't nearly as confused here. This place is probably your home, right?"

The butterfly didn't answer like the gator-sloth had. At least, not with words. But at the sound of Shyu's voice, it beat it wings a little stronger. It was then Shyu noticed the wings weren't just red. They were made of flames.

It was the type of thing that normally would have irritated Shyu, the idea that a little sprity bug could produce more fire than he could. But somehow, its presence made him feel calm, understood. He extended his finger, and the butterfly landed on it.

"I don't know much about spirit powers," he said. "Do your friends tease you for being a weakling, too?" He moped his brow. "Man, this place is sweltering. If I'm gonna be stuck here, I at least need to find some shade."

The butterfly cocked its head. Then it fluttered up from his finger and flew behind him. It tickled a bit as it landed on his exposed shoulder. Then an orb of light formed around it. Shyu squinted to see that the butterfly seemed to be sinking into his skin.

"Whoa, now! What--" Shyu jumped up and readied a hand to slap the thing away. But then he felt a strange sensation flow across his skin. The temperature, somehow, didn't feel so hot anymore. At least, he could walk around without leaving a trail of sweat behind. He took a closer look at his shoulder to see that the orb of light had faded and instead of the butterfly resting on him, there was a glowing red mark in the shape of a butterfly on his shoulder.

"Did you...do that to help me?" he asked, unsure if the spirit was there somehow or had simply left its mark on him and vanished. He didn't hear or feel anything answer him.

"Well, if you did, thanks a lot," he said with a smile. Then he picked up his shirt from where he'd dropped it and kept walking, hoping to find some kind of sign that he wasn't going to be lost for the rest of eternity.

#

Mica woke upside down, her legs and feet tangled in leafy vines.

 _How the flames did I get up here?_ And for that matter, where the heck was she?

Memories came back slower than normal, like scattered puzzle pieces she had to assemble. It felt off somehow. Hazy.

 _Probably from all the blood rushing to my head,_ she decided. It was a bit hard to concentrate dangling there.

"Shyu? A little help, please?" No answer. Strange. She could swear she heard him follow her in. Had they gotten separated that easily?

Cold panic rose in her chest. What if he was trapped somewhere? Or hurt? Or--

 _Flames! What did I do?_ Images flashed in her mind like a bad skit. A cold cell, her in that awful black and white striped getup, a burly inmate tough as nails. "So, whadua in for?"

"Oh, I just kidnapped the Fire Prince and got him killed in the spirit world."

Panicked sweat dripped down Mica's face into her eyes as her breathing heightened. _What do I do? What do I do? What do I do??_

Her mom's voice echoed in her mind, oddly comforting. "You can start by calming down. Focus, Mica. You're no use to anyone if you panic. Now look around. Do you see anything in your surroundings that could help you?"

Mica did this. There was one branch that looked reachable. Maybe if she got some leverage, she could find a way to untangle her feet. She flexed and relaxed her abs, wriggling her body into a gradually widening swing. Eventually she reached enough momentum to grab the branch. The bark had a strange texture like reptilian scales. It was oddly warm, too.

Mica shuddered. Everything about this place gave her the willies. Best to find her bike, grab Shyu, and get the heck out of here. She tensed her arms, pulling against the vines as hard as she could. Some gave, freeing her legs enough to kick off her shoes and yank the remaining greenery off with her toes. Hands still gripping the branch, Mica braced herself as her body sung free, now right-side up. She wasn't as far from the ground as she thought--only ten feet or so. There was no sign of Shyu, but she could see a distinct patch of metallic red and black among the green. Her bike.

 _Thank the stars._ She swung again, flipped gymnast-style, and landed gracefully on the ground. The moss was warm under her toes, just like the tree. It even seemed to breathe. Mica hurried to her bike, which was still partially tangled in the vines that had dragged it here.

She tugged them off violently, cursing all the while. She barely noticed the breeze that had picked up until she heard the voice it carried. It sounded human.

She startled and looked up. "Shyu?" No answer. Her fingers twitched. She felt unnervingly helpless without her improvised incendiaries in arms reach. But she was nervous about trying to manipulate the earth in this place. For all she knew, a seemingly normal-looking rock could end up being some all-powerful spirit that just happened to be rock-shaped.

The voice echoed again, clearer this time. _"Why is this happening?"_

Mica jumped and whirled. "Who said that?" But she was alone. The voice wasn't Shyu's. It sounded younger.

 _Flames, I hate this place._ Mica tugged off the last of the vines and found the keys in the ignition right were Dino said they'd be.

_"Scared..."_

Now she knew she wasn't hearing things. That was definitely a child's voice.

 _It's probably a trick,_ Mica tried to assure herself. Aunt Korra had told her all sorts of stories about the spirit world. There was fog that trapped peoples' souls, for crying out loud. Why not random, creepy, kids voices? But then...what if it wasn't a trick? What if there really was a kid trapped in here? She followed the sound, every nerve tingling. The cries were coming from a shrouded thicket hidden in a dense wall of trees. Mica squinted inside.

"Hello? Is anyone in there?" No answer. She shifted nervously. She didn't want to go in there. She couldn't even say why. She knew nothing of the spirit world and yet somehow this place felt dangerous.

Mica took a step back. If people called her a coward, then burn them. She'd tell Aunt Korra about the child she heard. It was probably a job for the Avatar anyway. Something flickered in the dark, making her freeze. A small, glowing orb wafted in the shadows making intricate patterns.

 _"Scared..."_ the voice echoed. Was the voice coming from the orb then? How strange. It didn't look like any spirit she knew of. No face or eyes. Just a glowing sphere. And the voice... now that she heard it better, Mica could swear she knew it somehow.

Mica watched as the orb drew closer, fascinated. Soon it hovered so close that Mica could see her reflection in i's shimmery, mirror-like surface. Then, miraculously, the reflection changed before her eyes.

Mica saw a moving image. A ring of children playing, in a circle with hands clasped. All but one. A small girl sat off to the side.

 _"Why is this happening? I'm said I was sorry,"_ the little voice echoed. Her thoughts projected like whispers. _"Why is everyone still scared?"_

Mica's heart clenched when the little girl looked up at her with green and gold eyes that mirrored her own. Were her own. A stab of pain rose up as she remembered. The image on the orb--a memory she had spent eleven years trying to forget. The time right after her earthbending became stronger. When no one wanted to sit near her a lunchtime, play with her on the playground, or even talk to her. She closed her eyes, fighting back dizziness. The ground seemed to shift underfoot.

 _Things are different now. I'm different. I'm not weak and sad like that girl. And I'm not sorry. Not for anything!_

She opened tear-blurred eyes. The glowing orb flitted away unnaturally fast--almost as if it was being pulled. Pulled? Mica blinked again and found herself surrounded in shadows. Dull light still shone behind her through a gap in the darkness. The feint outline of her bike was just barely visible beyond.

The thicket. When had she gone in? And how had she wandered so far? She started to sweat. The echoes. The glowing orb. What if they were just bait--for her?!

Something wet and warm grabbed her arm. Beyond, in the dark, an pair of glowing yellow eyes opened. Something massive moved exhaling dank, earthy breath in her face. Mica screamed.

"Let go!" Adrenalin shot through her like liquid fire. Mica lashed out instinctively, striking with her free hand just as the predator lunged. Her hand hit something scaly--its face? She wasn't sure. The moment Mica made contact, warm energy left her fingers, the same way it did when she charged her explosives. There was a blinding flash and an unearthly roar. Mica was flung backwards out of the thicket. She hit the ground hard, skidding up spirit dirt and purple ferns. Her head spun.

 _What--How--How did I just do that?_

She sat and stared at her hands, as baffled now as she had been in kindergarten the day she detonated her very first rock. Only this time there wasn't any rock. There wasn't any earth at all. And she wasn't fatigued. An explosion like that should have drained her.

_What is going on?_

No time to find out. A roar erupted from the thicket, so loud it shook the ground. Other spirits fled from the trees like a flock of startled prey. Thousands of them. Even the trees seemed to take on new life. Vines and branches writhed like an angry animal.

 _What in the flames did I just piss off?_

Mica scrambled onto her bike and turned the keys revving the engine to life. She wasn't going to stick around and find out.


	11. Interruptions

"Okay, now I know I've seen that purple mushroom before..."

Shyu groaned. Just when he thought he was making progress. He leaned wearily against a log.

 _Someone will notice I'm gone._ He knew it. _And when they do, Dad will send everyone--guards, police, even the Avatar to look for me..._ But how would they know to check in the spirit world? Mica and he hadn't exactly announced where they were secretly sneaking off to.

He swallowed hard. Korra would come into the spirit world eventually. She was the Avatar. It was sorta her thing. But when? Tomorrow? A few days from now? A few weeks? Flames, could he really be stuck here for weeks? What was he going to do for food? And what about Mica? Was she still trapped in here somewhere?

 _Darn that girl,_ he thought. _If it wasn't for her I wouldn't be in this mess. I'd be perfectly safe watching Dad get crowned...from the background...alone._

Shyu felt a small twinge in his arm. He reached up and scratched the place where the spirit had marked him.

Then he stood. He needed to keep searching. For Mica. For the exit. For anything. Even if it was pointless, at least he was doing something.

He turned in a slow circle, trying to decide on a direction he hadn't already gone in.

_That tree doesn't look familiar. And there...off in the distance...that swirling light in the sky could be from the spirit portal._

His arm tingled, sending a shiver down his back. _Yes. This has to be right. I know it._

He barely made it two steps when he heard a strange noise. Shyu glanced up. _Was that...?_ He listened harder. Yes, it was! Off in the distance, he could hear the very un-spirity thrum of a motorcycle.

"Mica!" He ran towards the noise. Tripping over rocks and ferns, he stumbled down a small embankment overlooking a vast valley of orange grass. Far away he could see the dense outline of forest. And beyond it, springing from the trees, was a vast swarm of spirits.

Shyu got slowly to his feet and watched the swarm, chest heaving.

Flames, there had to be thousands of them. But what would make them flee like that?

His answer came a second later. A roar the likes of which he'd never heard shook the ground as something enormous broke out of the trees.

 _A dragon!_ Shyu thought. Even ensnared in vines, it had the vague outline of one of the great animals. But no, not even dragons get that big. This was something else.

 _Whatever it is, it's coming this way!_ The realization dawned with a spike of adrenalin. Shyu started to run again, back the way he had come when something else caught his eye. There, fleeing alongside the swarm of frightened spirits, Shyu saw a blur of red paint and the wink of a headlight.

He continued racing forward, waving his hands over his head and yelling, "Mica! Over here!"

She veered sharply, cutting diagonally across the valley at full speed and churning orange grass into a fine mist. She shot passed him in a blur then skidded to a stop a dozen yards ahead.

"You're...okay!" he managed to gasp out between pants.

"Get on! Quick!" Mica snapped.

Shyu didn't need to be asked twice. He practically flung himself on the bike behind her and wrapped his arms tight around her waist. She was covered in sheen of sweat and breathing almost as hard as he was.

"What happened?"

Mica's voice was on the verge of frenzy. "That thing just tried to eat me! That's what happened!" She hit the throttle full force. Shyu pressed his cheek into her back, every muscle tensed as the bike lurched forward. He tried not to look down at the ground speeding just inches under his feet.

Terror gnawed at his belly. Mica couldn't keep this up forever. Sooner or later her bike would run out of fuel, and they'd be stranded again. Then that thing would devour them both for sure! Their only hope now was to find the exit. And quick.

Shyu leaned up, catching a face full of Mica's hair as it whipped behind her.

"Head towards that patch in the sky! I think it's the way out!" He loosened his grip just long enough to point a shaking finger at the ribbon of color that was getting closer by the second.

"How do you know?" Mica yelled back.

He didn't know. For all he knew, the discoloration could be right above a thousand foot drop. But something--instinct maybe--told him otherwise.

"Just trust me!"

\----

"Please, remain calm!" Raiko's voice announced above the concerned whispers of the crowd and the growing shouts of dissent from the demonstrators across the street. They might have been content to stand a good distance away when the ceremony started, but now that something had gone wrong, they were determined to voice just how much this proved that Iroh was a failure.

"This is perfectly normal!" Raiko called out. Someone booed him, and an officer stepped in to quiet the guy down. Tenna was on her feet, her body shifting to a defensive stance without a second thought. It was still early evening, so they were hardly plunged into pitch black darkness, but the Fire Sage was a bit more difficult to make out, and it had taken both Iroh and Kaja to finally convince him to stop spewing his history lesson into the non-functioning microphone. Tenna scanned the area. There were about half the protesters standing on the street as there were before. Either some of them had gotten bored, or (more likely), some of them decided to have a field day with the equipment. _So, is that all they decided to do, or is there more?_

"This close to the spirit vines, there can be some...disruptions to our electronics from time to time," Raiko was going on. "Do we have any lightning generators in the crowd?"

"I can do that, sir!" Mako called.

The president nodded appreciatively at him. "Thank you, Chief." The audience seemed to be calming down, tuning the protesters back out as they worked towards a common goal of not sitting in the dark.

"Oo, oo, pick me!" Kiki said, jabbing her hand in the air and bouncing up and down.

"Kiki!" her mother scolded her. "You're supposed to be watching your father!"

"But I'm really good at lightning!" Kiki whined. The first few rows of people, who'd been able to hear her, giggled a bit. Meanwhile, a few more people volunteered their lightning abilities--not surprising given the numbers of Fire Nation citizens in the crowd. Izumi, Yuki, and the royal family children stepped down to sit in the front row while Iroh and the Fire Sage remained on the stage. A crackle of electricity and the crew got a single flickering spotlight working and focused on Iroh. Tenna looked over the group again. Only two of Iroh's children were seated. And apparently their mother had just made the same observation.

"Where's Shyu?" she asked with concern.

"I just told Grandma," Kiki whispered. "He went off with a girl."

Tenna's stomach felt uneasy. Just how long ago had Mica left to get those cups of coffee? "Was this girl wearing a short red dress?" she asked.

Kiki nodded. "Uh-huh. And she had neat eyes. One green and one gold."

Yuki shot both Tenna and Bolin an icy glare at the description of just who had vanished with her son. It was all Tenna could do not to go hide somewhere from the humiliation. "Don't worry," she said, soft and calm as she could be. "I made sure my daughter knows how to take care of herself. She'll keep him safe."

Somehow, this did not seem terribly comforting to Yuki. Bolin leaned forward and tried to help smooth things over in his usual Bolin way, which as it turned out wasn't very smooth at all. "Yeah, Mica's a great fighter," he announced. Yuki looked horrified. Tenna grimaced and smacked her husband lightly upside the head. Bolin winced and hastily tried to correct himself. "Not that there's going to be a fight--or any danger at all, really. I mean--I'm sure they're fine."

"...hail Firelord Iroh!" the Fire Sage announced with the finally-functioning microphone. A cheer arose from the crowd. Bolin, realizing he had missed the big moment, tried to make up for it by standing and hollering extra loud. Tenna clapped along with him, but in truth, she still couldn't shake an uneasy feeling. Then, at that moment, one of the cheers in the crowd changed into a horrified scream.

\----

Tenna was in weapon mode. The ease with which she slipped into it was not something she was particularly proud of, but in a situation like this, she could at least make use of it.

She surveyed the scene with disciplined calm. A couple thousand roving spirits flitted about but seemed more intent on fleeing rather than attacking. Odd. What were they fleeing from? Best not to find out.

As guards rushed in to usher the Royal Family to safety, Tenna stuck close to Firelord Izumi... well, Lady Izumi now, and kept her lips slightly parted in case she needed to fire a combustion blast.

Izumi seemed ready for a fight herself, Tenna noted. She was usually quite skilled at playing the role of the helpless nonbender. But apparently when her children and grandchildren were involved, that façade became all the more difficult to uphold.

"We'll handle this," Tenna tried to assure her friend (though really how she was going to handle this, she didn't quite know). "Don't do anything you'll regret later."

"Hmph," Izumi replied, lowering her hands, but remaining tensed.

She saw movement out of the corner of her eye coming in fast. Something that looked like a glowing black snake slithered up to the chairs. Most of the crowd was fleeing away, but the creature was moving quickly to catch up to the slowest runners. Tenna fired a small blast, blowing three or four chairs to smithereens. The snake-thing screeched, but stopped its charge, and seemed eager to return to the portal it had come from.

 _Hmm....not very fond of big ka-booms, it seems,_ Tenna thought. This gave her an idea. If she could get a few well-placed shots in the areas where no citizens were standing, she might be able to drive the angry spirits to right back where they came from.

"Send up a few plumes of lava where you can do it safely," she told Bolin. "And make it loud. They don't like explosions."

"I don't like them much either!" Bolin called back, but went and did as she had instructed. Mako apparently overheard or figured out the trick on his own, because he began firing lightning bolts at the ground, which scared a few more angry spirits off. The rest of the security team rushed in to help the citizens evacuate. Meanwhile, Tenna went to find the best vantage point she could. A nearby streetlight served her nicely. Behind her, Izumi was scolding two guards, insisting that they stop treating her like "a feeble old lady."

This roused some argument from Korra that Izumi _was_ , in fact, a feeble old lady. Korra being the only person besides Tenna gutsy enough to say as much to the former Firelord's face. What she wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall when things calmed down and Korra got a well-deserved earful for that one.

Tenna scaled the streetlight with little effort and balanced on the top as she looked for her best openings. Team Avatar had covered the area nicely, but she could still see a few spots in the distance where the spirits were sneaking through. She fired a few well-placed blasts. She was feeling fairly confident in herself until an unearthly roar sounded followed by the rev of an engine. _An engine?_ Tenna felt her stomach drop.

 _No,_ she thought. _No, please, no. No. No. No!_

Her gaze fell on the spirit portal just in time to see a motorbike burst forth from the glowing pillar. Mica was driving, Tenna knew, even before she recognized her daughter's red dress and Prince Shyu's royal attire. But even more frightening than watching Mica barely swerve around spirits and scattered debris was seeing the monster that emerged next, hot on her trail.

Tenna felt her footing start to give way, the light collapsing underneath her.


	12. The Getaway

Izumi stared up at the light. She saw Tenna falling, could sense it happening with her powers. A part of her reacted in the same way she did when Iroh and Zarah were children. She instructively reached out a hand to catch Tenna. But this wasn't like when her children tripped on a loose rug or tumbled over the first stair up to the balcony. This was a huge fall--a deadly one unless Izumi did something about it. She didn't give it a second thought. She focused her bloodbending, wrapping her energy around Tenna's body, pulling it under her control.

 _Fall slower,_ she thought. _Fall slower._ Tenna did. She was breathing like crazy, but slowed when her feet touched solid ground as she realized she wasn't plummeting to her doom.

Once she'd shaken off the shock, she narrowed her eyes at Izumi. "There's cameras around. You shouldn't have done that."

"Don't question where I put my priorities," Izumi shot back. "Now, come on. We have to get the kids out of here."

Fear flickered in Tenna's eyes. A mother's fear.

Izumi watched her glance about scouting for another (preferably more stable) place to stand. Her eyes settled on the roof of a nearby record shop. "I need to get to higher ground," she said. "If I can distract that thing long enough, it will give the kids a chance to get to saf--"

She didn't get the chance to finish her sentence. Izumi flicked her fingers, moving Tenna into a crouch and then into a flying leap up that she really shouldn't have been able to make. She somehow succeeded in grabbing just the very edge of the roofing.

Tenna hoisted herself up, stopping only for a second to catch the breath that Izumi had startled out of her. Izumi felt a little guilty for that. Still, Tenna was where she needed to be and wasted no time shouting at Mica to "get over here this instant!"

A guard took Izumi's elbow, coaxing her along towards a line of vehicles. She was quite sure not even Republic City's spirits could outrun that.

#

"Hang on!" Mica yelled as loud as she could, which wasn't very loud since Shyu was practically crushing the air out of her. She veered hard, dodging the dragon by inches. It was one of the most enormous dragons Mica had ever seen. It was nearly as tall as Varrick Industries, which was the tallest building in Republic City. Odd, it hadn't seemed quite as big back in the shadows. Maybe it was just the plants making it look big.

Whatever the case, it didn't matter. Huge or not, she wasn't about to be its next meal. It lunged again but too late.

"Not today, beastie!" Mica spat over her shoulder as they plunged into the portal's blinding light. She closed her eyes, feeling the strange pull of energy on her body. It was invigorating and frightening at the same time.

Then she caught her first whiff of city air.

Someone screamed. Mica's eyes flew open as her tires connected with solid ground once again. She was still racing at top speed, only instead of zooming through an open valley, she was spinning out into a narrow street filled with people.

The coronation. They were barreling straight into it. And they weren't alone. A roar echoed, making Mica's heart pound even harder. _No. No way!_

Had it followed them? Mica risked a glance over her shoulder, catching a sight of the huge dragon as it emerged from the spirit wilds.

"Look out!" Shyu yelled. Too late. Mica gasped as a spirit vine latched onto her arm. The momentum snapped her backwards clear off her bike and would have pulled out her shoulder had Shyu not managed to singe the vine away just in time.

Strange. Hadn't she heard somewhere that Shyu couldn't bend that well?

They toppled together, Shyu taking the brunt of the fall, Mica landing in heap on top of him, Mica saw her bike was still airborne. It careened out of control into the speaking podium just as a shocked Firelord Iroh leapt out of the way, shoving down the old Fire Sage with him.

Mica was on her feet a second later, one hand calling up rock shields to deflect more vines, the other helping hoist a winded Shyu back to his feet.

"Geeze, are you okay?" Mica asked.

"Yeah," he wheezed, hastily brushing himself off. "I don't know what this stuff is, but I think it's immortal."

Through a few jagged tears in his outfit, Mica saw the distinct silvery weave of Varri-fiber.

 _Good old Uncle Varrick does it again._ As soon as they were out of mortal danger, she was going to run up and hug the man. _But first things first..._

"Run!" Mica yelled. Not that she was giving Shyu much choice. She bolted forward, dragging him by the wrist. She called up rock shields with her other hand, deflecting attacking vines and fleeting spirits away from Shyu until the two of them came within a safe lobbing distance of his family--all taking cover behind a wall of guards and some police vehicles yards off from the stage. Mica shifted stances and shoved Shyu roughly ahead of her. "Time to fly!"

"What do you mea--" Shyu gasped just as Mica slammed down with one foot. A platform of earth rose up at her command, catapulting Shyu over several rows of chairs and straight into three shocked guards. They toppled like dominoes. But soon more guards were there, helping Shyu to his feet.

Not the best throw (or landing) in Fire Nation history, but at least Shyu was safe. And now that he was safe...

Mica slowed and turned, breaths ragged and eyes wild. She could feel the dragon creature's massive footsteps ripple through the earth and through her bare feet. It was emerging from the portal and racing straight in her direction. Trying to finish what it started. Well, it was in for an explosive surprise.

Mica felt rage course through her, replacing her fear. She may not have been able to fight in the spirit world, but they were on _her_ turf now. And Mica didn't fear dragons in this world. Her great-grandmother, Ren, raised hatchlings for a living. Her grandmother, Sien, sparred one-on-one with dragons to learn her firebending. Her mother, Tenna, helped Firelord Izumi tame her temperamental blue scale, Flare. Mica was from a family of dragon tamers. And out of the shadows, without its tricks and illusions, that's all this creature really was.

She jammed in her reverse hearing aids blocking out screams and...was that her mother yelling at her? No matter. Fury coursed in her blood now. She wasn't backing down out of this one. She stomped, calling up an array of rocks and circling them around her.

"Hey, ugly!" she taunted, projecting her voice loud enough to be heard over the screaming crowd and her mom's explosions."You want a piece of me?" The dragon creature lowered its massive head towards her until its muzzle was less than a foot from her. Then it opened gaping jaws, big enough to swallow a car whole, and roared full in her face. Mica outstretched one arm, splaying her fingers. With the other she spun her rock ring until each stone brushed her fingertips and received a charge. Then she stepped back, hard, and sent the entire ring of glowing explosives into the creatures face all at once. "Well, come and get it!"

#

So far, to Iroh, being the Firelord felt very much like being a United Forces general. A lot of chaos and a lot of fighting. Kiki attempted to shoot a few lightning bolts at some weird bat-like creature that was headed her way, but she didn't have much success. Iroh gave the thing a good fire blast, which sent it fluttering and screeching into the night. Kiki hid her face in his robes, and his chest felt tight. He couldn't run off if there were still Fire Nation citizens in danger. He was the Firelord, and it was his job to protect them. But he was also Kiki's father. And Kaja's. And (even though he was ready to unleash a Firelord's full wrath on the boy) Shyu's.

He shot a glance at his middle child. Shyu was trying to squirm away from Yuki, who in her relief to see her son, insisted on smoothing his hair and coddling him like he was four years old.

"Mom, I'm fine, really!" Shyu insisted. He was at that. His clothes were tattered and his glasses broken, but aside from a few minor bruises, he seemed unharmed. Kiki ran to her mother when Iroh approached.

He gestured to the nearest guard. "Take my family to safety," he ordered. "I'm going to stay and help with the evacuation."

The guard looked stricken. "But Firelord Iroh...I cannot--"

"He's right, Iroh. Let the police handle this." It was Mako.

Iroh glared. The guards being overprotective he could understand. Protecting the Firelord had been drilled into them from day one. But Mako? Mako and he had fought side-by-side to reclaim Republic City. He knew Iroh was no stranger to fighting. But now, a whole two minutes into his reign as Firelord, and suddenly Mako just expected him to act helpless and flee like some terrified civilian?

"Those are my citizens out there! Not to mention my sister and the servants who--" He took a step forward, but Mako blocked his path.

"Sorry, sir, but I'm afraid I must insist. Princess Zarah has already been safely escorted from the area, along with the palace staff and many of the citizens. My officers can handle the rest," Mako promised. "But that dragon seems to be focused on this spot. We need to get you out of here and quickly."

Iroh narrowed his eyes, and Mako narrowed his right back. This wasn't going to end pretty.

Fortunately, Avatar Korra chose that exact moment to come over and intervene. "I'll take care of this, your highness," she said, winking at him. "This is Avatar stuff. You get your family to safety."

Iroh looked over his shoulder and took in the worried faces of his wife and kids. "Very well," he said at last with resignation.

Mako also seemed satisfied with this plan. He turned to his brother next. "Bolin, I want you to go with them. Get Tenna and Mica out of there."

Bolin nodded. Though the man was normally not the commanding type, Iroh could see a brave focus his eyes. He charged out of cover, calling to Tenna as he ran passed her sniping perch. He projected his voice pretty loudly, actually. Loud enough even to be heard over his wife's explosions. Probably a skill he picked up in his mover career. "Tenna! Come on! We're leaving!"

Tenna paused, painting from effort, and made a frantic pointing motion.

"I'll get Mica!" Bolin assured. "Just go!"

Tenna went, sliding down the roof before jumping. She landed, tucked and rolled, and was up again. His mother grasped Tenna's shoulder as she joined them, pale, sweating, and out of breath.

Bolin, meanwhile, was still yelling at his daughter. But she was either ignoring him or couldn't seem to hear. Both a possibility, considering what he had seen.

To think she actually dragged his son into this. Iroh fumed. He was going to have a little chat with her parents later.

When yelling failed to work, Bolin assumed a bending stance and opened a gaping pit of lava between Mica and her dragon foe. Mica skied to a halt, dropping the rock (or was it a grenade?) she was about to fling and glared daggers at her father. She looked as exhausted as her mother. Maybe even more so.

Bolin stomped his foot, gesturing dramatically as he commanded. "Young lady, car! _Now_!"

Mica stomped her foot right back but finally took pause when Avatar Korra swept in riding a cyclone. Not even she could compete with that, it seemed.

With the Avatar providing a helpful distraction, Iroh, Bolin, and both their families all gathered on a piece of road that seemed slightly less overrun with translucent beasts out to murder them. With an eerie sense of timing, there was a squeal of tires and the pungent smell of burning rubber. Asami had pulled up in a long, slick-looking black convertible."Get in!" she yelled.

Yuki didn't need to be asked twice. She jumped into the passengers' seat, clutching a shivering Kiki on her lap.

"You can fit ten people in this thing?" Iroh asked. Asami grinned and punched down on a conspicuous red button. There was a loud buzz, and a compartment opened up in the back of the car to reveal an additional row of seats. Probably not big enough for three extra adults, but certainly workable for three teens. Shyu and Mica jumped in right away. Iroh was not happy about this, seeing what had happened the last two had been alone together, but there wasn't time to argue, either.

Glaring at his son with what he hoped would fully convey how much trouble he would be in if the two so much as looked at each other the wrong way, Iroh climbed into the seat, squeezing in next to his mother and Tenna. Bolin scrunched himself up on the car's floor. Kaja joined Shyu in the back, which made Iroh feel at least a little better about the seating arrangement.

"Where to?" Asami asked.

Before Iroh could answer, something came sailing through the air and smacked him on the forehead. It plinked onto the side of the road, where Iroh stared at it in surprise. It was an old tin can.

"That's right! Run, coward!" yelled some hysterical lady in Fire Nation garb. A few more people came up alongside her to yell, and a few more random objects flew. Despite his position leaving very little of his body exposed, Bolin somehow managed to get smacked in the face with a rotten cabbage.

"I said keep moving, people!" Mako yelled, coming up behind the forming crowd. He glared at Asami. "Why are you still here? Go!"

She glared right back at him but slammed on the gas rather than trying to concoct a good retort. The blast of exhaust behind them made Mako cough.

"So, your highness?" Asami asked. "Where are we driving?"

Iroh had trouble forming an answer. His brain was still attempting to process the fact that his citizens clearly hated him. But he couldn't focus on that now. He had to get his family to safety.

"My home," he finally answered Asami. "It's far enough away from the portal and the high security will keep out the press. I'll give you directions."

"You got it!" Asami shifted gears and gave the gas another good push. The acceleration flung Iroh backwards, and he smacked his head on the side of the car.

 _First day as Firelord,_ he thought. _My son drags a bunch of angry spirits through Republic City, and my citizens throw trash at me_. He'd been telling himself all day that no matter what happened at his coronation, he couldn't possibly go over worse than Prince Wu's had. Now he was having serious doubts about that.


	13. Accusations

Shyu didn't take his father's warning glare lightly. In fact, Mica tried several times to talk to him during the trip there, and he just shook his head in a way that conveyed that they were better off pretending they were off speaking terms for the rest of eternity. She took the hint easily enough, which seemed to actually disappoint Kaja. No doubt his big brother would get a huge thrill pointing out a single misstep from Shyu right now.

When the car pulled past the huge iron gates of the family estate, Dad directed Asami to park by the back entrance. Shyu exited quietly, resisting the temptation to run up to his room while his father was thanking Asami for her help. There was an art to sneaking off, and it wasn't right away. It had to be done in a way that made his father think he'd sent Shyu off. Mica fell in line and stood by him, waiting for a signal. It was actually Bolin who spoke first, pointing an accusing finger at his daughter.

"All right, young lady, you need to get up to your room right now, and--"

"Not our house, Dad," Mica reminded him. Shyu could see Bolin's cheeks puff up with anger -- probably at his both daughter's sass and her accuracy.

"I can show her to one of the guest rooms," Shyu quickly volunteered.

Iroh turned around and looked ready to forbid any such thing, but thankfully his wife Yuki was sympathetic.

"I think that sounds fine," she said, nodding towards the back door. A servant had already started opening it up and motioning everyone inside. Shyu let out a long sigh as he stepped in. The night sky was clear and quiet, but in the back of his head, the memories of the crowd's screams still haunted him.

#

Shyu did show Mica straight to an upstairs guest room, but for some strange reason, she asked to see his room, too. While Shyu's first reaction was to say he didn't need to be in anymore trouble right now, another part of him liked the idea. He opened the door and let her walk in first. At least the house servants had cleaned the place recently. Shyu wasn't entirely sure he wanted his comic book collection lying out on his bed the first time a girl came into his room.

He set his broken glasses on the bedside table and rubbed the bridge of his nose where the frames had scratched it up.

"My dad is going to kill me," he muttered. A downer of an opening statement, but a hard truth nonetheless. Behind him, Mica sat on his bed, looking around the room. It seemed like he should have been happy, the whole real-life-girl-in-his-room thing. Someone, though, it didn't feel like a moment of celebration.

Mica kicked at the plush maroon carpet. "Oh, come on, I'm sure you can get a new pair of glasses," she said.

"Not about that!" Shyu snapped. "About leaving in the middle of his coronation and leading a mob of angry spirits through a crowd of innocent bystanders!"

Mica shrugged. "We didn't lead them. They attacked us. And it wasn't like we went looking for trouble. They pulled in the bike, remember?"

"Yeah, and going after it was a really awful idea!" Shyu pulled back at the volume of his own voice. Usually when someone argued against him, he found it was less effort to just say the other person was right, regardless of what he actually thought. Then again, this hadn't exactly been a normal night. "I'm sorry," he said, rubbing his eyes.

"Eh, don't be. It is kind of a mess. But I'm sure our parents will sort it out."

Shyu looked at her. She hadn't lay down on the bed, and she had pressed her hands into the mattress and leaned back as if she expected to pass out at any moment. Actually, now that he looked more carefully at her, she seemed a bit pale, her eyes slightly unfocused.

"Wait, Mica," he said. "That thing you fought, how many explosives did you use?"

She gave a weak smile. "Quite a few."

Shyu slapped his forehead. "And you didn't eat to replenish then, did you?" He didn't wait for her to reply; the expression on her face made the answer pretty obvious. Shyu immediately walked over to the desk in the corner and began rummaging through the drawers. He always kept some emergency snack supplies in there for late-night study sessions (or top-notch PB marathons). The supplies weren't replenished recently, though, and all he had to offer was half a bag of Flame-o Crisps. Still, Mica took the gift and munched happily, a bit of color returning to her cheeks. The two sat together for a few minutes, neither one speaking but both happy was someone there to talk to.

#

 _Ahh, junk food, the only thing in Republic City as sweet as Dino's ride._ Tired of the silence, Mica stretched out her arms but kept the bag of crisps well within her reach. "So, we're stuck up here," she said, mouth full. "You gonna regale me with amazing tales of palace life?"

Shyu snorted. "Yeah, no one talks to me except to tell me when I'm in the way. It's really amazing."

Was that his attempt at sarcasm? This guy was more awkward than she first thought. "What do you do for fun?" she prompted. "You know when your family's not making you dress up and be all princely, like when you're hanging out with your friends."

Shyu's features saddened and Mica felt herself cringe a little on the inside. Score one for her big mouth. "Oh, I didn't realize...Never mind. Forget I asked."

"I _have_ friends," Shyu retorted. He actually stood up to say it, fists clenched and everything. Then his eyes darted to the side, no doubt searching for actual names for his supposed friends. "Nanami's always nice to me," he finally said, quieter and calmer now.

Mica snagged up three crisps in her fingertips and shoved them into her mouth. "Who's Nanami? One of your servants?"

Shyu shrugged. "She works in the palace, but...she's also a friend of Dad's. She helped him retake Sunport a couple decades ago with her voidbending."

"Oh, yeah, Sunport." Mica nodded and tried to sound like she knew what the prince what talking about. In reality, it sounded like he was referencing stuff from one of Mrs. Bat's lectures. Which meant Mica had made a point of not remembering it.

She made another reach for the bag, but sadly this time, she came up empty. Shyu noticed right away and actually looked embarrassed about it.

"Sorry, I'll go get something else. Official permission to raid the Firelord's refrigerator." He made what looked like an attempt at a smile. "The way my mom stocks the thing, you'd think we were feeding an army, anyway."

Mica laughed at the joke. It might not have been that funny, but it was definitely accurate. "Trust me, your highness, get me in there after a fight like that and you will feel like you're feeding an army."

#

Iroh slammed his hands down onto the table. Bolin looked uncertainly at the display, unsure if he should do the same or tell the Firelord to calm down. Was that appropriate to tell the Firelord to calm down? Or was that against some kind of Fire Nation rules or something?

While Bolin was debating, Iroh turned and glared daggers at him. "This is completely your fault!" he said.

Bolin straightened. Granted, he would admit, things that went wrong did frequently tend to be his fault. But this time, he was at least pretty sure, he was actually innocent of any wrongdoing. "Wait, my fault?" he asked. "How?"

"Shyu's always been so well-behaved," Iroh said. "He never would have walked away from the coronation if Mica hadn't lured him off the stage."

 _Lured him?_ Bolin puffed up with anger. Yes, Mica had been a little...difficult lately. But that didn't mean she wasn't a good kid. This conversation had gone quite far enough.

"Quite frankly," Iroh said. "I believe your daughter is turning my son into a hooligan."

"Now just a minute!" Bolin said, giving the table a good hand-slam of his own. He pointed at Iroh, not going so far as to actually poke him in the chest, but coming pretty dang close. "You listen here...Mr. Firelord, sir! That's my little girl you're talking about!"

"What's going on?"

Bolin turned around. Both Tenna and Yuki were standing in the doorway, staring at their husbands like they'd completely lost their minds. Tenna stepped forward, grabbed Bolin by the ear, and pulled him out into the hallway. It didn't feel too good, either.

"What are you doing arguing with the Firelord?" she hissed, finally releasing him.

Bolin rubbed his sore ear, still feeling angry, but still feeling like Pabu getting caught in the icebox. "B-but...he called Mica a hooligan!" he explained.

Tenna's fierce expression didn't change much. She still looked about ready to blow something up. But instead of continuing to vent her anger at Bolin, she turned and marched back towards the sitting room. "He did _what_?" she snapped.

Bolin followed her out, if for no other reason, the ensure the stability of the house. But when he got back in to where Iroh was standing, he found Yuki already giving him a stern lecture, with Tenna standing beside her, looking progressively more appeased.

"...and, furthermore, you're being completely ridiculous," Yuki said to Iroh. "Bolin and Tenna are close family friends. If anyone's to blame for Shyu's misbehavior, it's us. We've been so focused on Kaja, it's no wonder he did something crazy to get attention."

Iroh ran his hands through his hair. Apparently he was unused to the Firelord's crown and knocked it askew. "Oo, I'll get that!" Bolin said, eager to make some small gesture of friendship between the two of them again. He made two feeble attempts to readjust the crown before Iroh waved him off and fixed it himself.

"All right, let's say no one's to blame," he said. "We still have a huge problem on our hands. What are we going to do about it?"

As he spoke, there was a knock at the door. Bolin looked around perplexed, as he was pretty sure everyone Iroh had invited to come here was present and accounted for, but then the Firelord announced, "Enter!" Very formal-like.

The door swung open and several servants (at least, Bolin assumed they were servants; they bowed a lot) entered as requested. They are all carried some envelopes and placed them on the huge coffee table in front of Iroh. Iroh nodded at each of them and they opened the envelopes up.

There were photos inside. Bolin leaned over in curiosity, only to quickly realize that they were not terribly flattering photos. There was one of him lavabending at the spirits... but it also had a rather nice fruit stand being ripped to shreds in the background. There was another of Tenna, too -- right when she was inhaling for a combustion blast. She had that look that he knew was all protective mother, but that most other people would probably find a tad scary. And, of course, there were pictures of Shyu and Mica. Lots of pictures, actually. In the scenes where they didn't look directly responsible for some piece of building destroyed or innocent citizens scared half to death, they at least looked like the instigators of the chaos. Bolin noted there weren't quite as many pictures of Iroh; most of them, he was behind his guards.

"So, these are...?" he asked.

"Copies of the photos that will no doubt be running in the papers tomorrow," Iroh muttered. "As I said, we've got a huge problem."

Bolin could hardly disagree with that statement. But he wasn't exactly sure how the group of them could fix the situation, either. He and Tenna had been fortunate enough to avoid any big scandals despite the limelight. Still, maybe some sort of public statement could help? He was thinking over ideas when he suddenly noticed that Tenna had shifted slightly, as if she was listening to something he couldn't see. Bolin tried to listen too and thought he could just barely make out some sounds from the kitchen. Then a set of footsteps moved slowly up the stairs down the hall.

A menacing scowl overtook Firelord Iroh's face. "Shyu!" he shouted at the top of his voice. "Get back down here right now!"


	14. Iroh's Solution

Shyu froze on the steps at his father's voice. His arms were filled with two bags of spicy cheese doodles, a can of peanuts, and a soda. It was actually the second load he'd gathered for Mica; she was already up in his room consuming the first half. He winced and placed the food in the middle of the stair. His father was no doubt listening to every step he took now. Sneaking off never worked as well in the house with Dad as it did everywhere else with random strangers.

 _Well, I guess if I don't come back up soon enough, Mica will eventually come down here and find my corpse._ He swallowed hard, gripping the banister as he descended to his inevitable doom. _Maybe she'll see to it that my remains get treated with dignity._

He tried to smile a bit at his own hyperbole. It just would have been more amusing if he knew how much of an exaggeration his death was. He'd never heard that sort of fierce anger in Dad's... in Firelord Iroh's voice before. He walked towards the sitting room, peering nervously around the corner. Dad was in there, all right. He had a nice crew of attendants around him, along with Mica's parents, Bolin and Tenna. There were some photos on the coffee table, Shyu noted, though he took care not to look at them as he approached his father. He could guess what they were, and probably would get a earful on it sooner rather than later.

"Y-yes, sir?" he asked, his voice coming out in a pathetic squeak. Good, that sounded good. He had his spare glasses on right now, and he kind of wished he still had the broken ones. Maybe those would make him look pathetic enough to just give a good scolding and send off to his room.

"This is a disaster," Iroh began. "An absolute disaster. I hope you realize that, young man." The attendants all nodded adamantly to agree that, yes, this disaster did in fact surpass all other disasters they had ever had the misfortune to witness. Shyu swallowed hard and stole a glance at the photos spread across the table--all photos that would be showing up in the next day's newspapers, without a doubt. The not-so-bad ones showed a couple fruit carts with cracks or hole in their sides. The ones that would actually make the front page showed the perfect path of destruction that the motorcycle had taken through the square. There were ripped banners, smashed windows, even a guy who'd gotten injured by the flying bits of debris. Nothing too serious, not that that made it too much easier to take.

 _I never meant for any of this_ , Shyu kept thinking to himself. He'd always been the quiet one. Boring, but quiet. How did he get himself into this sort of a mess?

Iroh shook his head and pushed the photos to a corner of the table, like looking at them a second longer might make his head explode. He turned on his son.

"You realize I can't just make this problem go away?" he said sternly.

Shyu lowered his head and nodded. Not much else he could do at this point. "Yes, sir."

"People are going to want some repercussions for this," Iroh went on. "I can pay for the damages, but I'm a big part of the public spotlight now. They're going to want to see that you and Mica face some genuine consequences for your actions."

Shyu felt his palms grow slick with sweat. His father had always been the kind-but-firm type. Now with news reporters documenting his every move, Shyu couldn't help but worry that he might see less of the "kind" and way more of the "firm."

But there was still something in him that felt more than fear right now. It felt anger. Anger that the best he could hope to do in this coronation, in this whole blasted royal life was to be quiet and not call too much attention to himself. Maybe that would have been great for plenty of people. But what if he wanted something different?

"So, what are they?" he heard himself say.

Iroh startled, like he'd forgotten his son could actually say things besides, _Yes, sir, No, sir,_ and _I'm so sorry; it's all my fault._ "What are...what?" he asked carefully.

"The consequences," Shyu replied. His muscles tightened. He felt stronger, somehow, the more he spoke. "You said I'd have to face some major consequences. So what are they?"

"I-I..." Iroh stuttered. Shyu couldn't remember ever seeing his father at a loss for words. This was almost entertaining. Not that he was glad he'd gotten in trouble, but if was going to be waist-deep in dragon crap anyway, seeing his father fumble a bit was a nice consolation. He wanted to see how far he could push this.

"You'll what, Dad?" Shyu pressed. "Seriously, what's the worst you could do? Force me into an agni kai in front of the entire Fire Nation? Actually, yes, please do that, because it's the only way I'll ever stand a chance of sitting on the throne!"

He jabbed his finger into their air, pointing in a random direction. There was clearly no throne room in the house, but it felt so satisfying. Shyu heaved with the effort. He hadn't even thought that he had so much of that energy bottled inside of him. He certainly didn't think it would never feel so good to get it all out.

His father made a few more good stutters, stepping back as he tried to figure out just what had gotten into his son all of a sudden. Then, much to Shyu's frustration, he just sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Look, I know this move has been hard on you. It's been hard on all of us. This doesn't feel like home yet. And I know you've had your frustration will all the attention being paid to Kaja..."

The words stung. Shyu had wanted to get his father angry, not go back to being compared with Kaja... to being pitied because he wasn't Kaja.

"I don't care what Kaja does," Shyu snapped. The words sounded pathetically fake. He wasn't sure why he bothered. All it did was get him even more sympathetic looks. That agni kai was sounding better and better right now.

"I know a few of the journalists that will be taking this story to print tomorrow," Iroh said. "I think if I offer a few of them an interview, I can find a way to spin things so that it doesn't look too bad. You were frustrated with everything going on, you didn't think straight about your actions..."

"Geez, Dad, make me sound like a eight-year-old, why don't you?" Shyu said.

His father narrowed his eyes. "You'll sound however we need to get this incident quieted down as quickly as possible." He took a quick glance at the pile of photos on the table, only to look back away from them immediately. "You know, I'm thinking that maybe this PR disaster would be a lot better if you and Mica weren't here to contradict it."

"Wait... what?" That comment actually came from Bolin, though goodness knew Shyu was thinking it, too. Bolin and his wife exchanged confused glances, which made Shyu all the more nervous. His father was making stuff up on the spot.

Iroh stroked his chin and began to pace the room the way Shyu had always seen him when he was giving a pep talk to his soldiers. Everything always had a plan, and as long as the great Iroh's plan got followed to perfection, nothing could possibly go wrong.

"Yes..." he said, now with his back to Shyu and talking more to the wall than to his son. "I'm sure she'd agree to it. ..."

 _Do I get let in on this anytime soon?_ Shyu asked, though he kept it to himself this time. Finally, his father turned back to face him. "I've made my decision. You'll be staying with your Aunt Zarah for a few weeks." He turned to Bolin and Tenna. "Actually, I'd like to talk to you two on this topic, as well."

The couple exchanged some very skeptical looks, Tenna more than her husband, but Bolin still gave a polite nod. Looking satisfied, Iroh waved a dismissive hand at Shyu. "Back in bed," he ordered. It filled Shyu with fury all over again.

"I'm not one of your stupid troops," he muttered. Iroh didn't hear him. But from the way she locked eyes with him, he wondered if Tenna might have. If she had, she didn't say anything. Figured. The adults always ganged together like that. Shyu stomped back towards the stairs, though the energy in his steps quickly dissipated. The wide hallway felt cool and empty... and Shyu felt utterly alone.

#

For a few moments, Shyu just sat on the middle step with the foodstuffs next to him. He didn't feel like going up and explaining to Mica what had just happened, and there was a certain satisfying defiance to parking himself a whole ten steps away from where his father ordered him to go. But eventually, he heard his father's voice bark out, "I said bed! Now!" and he had to grab the bags of snacks and hurry back up again.

Mica was leaned up against his bookshelf and looked up curiously when he re-entered. She had his comic collection out, he noted, though she'd been polite enough to leave the ones still in the plastic sleeves alone.

"I heard your dad yelling about something," she said quietly. "Rough talk?"

"Meh. Just ruined my life for the next few months. No big deal." He dropped the armful of food next to her and plopped face down on his bed. The pillow was suffocatingly soft and felt warm as he breathed into it. Maybe he could just sleep here for three months. Yeah, that could totally work.

He heard the sound of Mica replacing the comics to their place on the shelf and walking over to him. "So... you gonna tell me what happened down there? Or are you just going to drown your sorrows in overly priced bedding?"

Shyu rolled over onto his back. "Seems my dad wants to ship me off to live with my aunt until this whole thing blows over. Could be months."

"Oh." There was a long silence before Mica said anything else. And even then, all she could come up with was, "Your aunt...seemed nice enough."

Shyu laughed. "There were three rows of people up on that stage. Do you remember which one she was?"

To this, Mica just grinned. "Sure. The Fire Nation lady in the fancy dress." She leaned over onto the dresser. "Look, you're talking to someone who's in the business of getting pushed around and rejected. The best you can do is figure out where you went wrong so you can plan better. For example..." She put a hand to her chin and leaned forward to examine Shyu's face as she were inspecting a painting for authenticity. "What kind of expression did you have when your dad came up with this idea? Come one, show me your face."

 _Isn't that what you're looking at now?_ Shyu tried to think of something that didn't sound snarky. "My...face?"

"Yeah, you know," Mica said with a shrug. "Your I'm-so-young-and-inexperienced-and-pathetic-please-don't-yell-at-me face."

 _That's impressively specific._ "I... don't have one of those," Shyu admitted.

Mica straightened, looking genuinely bewildered at this specimen of a teenager before her. "Well, what do you do when you get in trouble?" she asked.

Again, something in Shyu snapped. He couldn't explain it, but it felt like a second personality took over the controls in his brain. "I don't!" he said. She took a step back from the bed in surprise, and he groaned at his outburst. "Well... not before yesterday, at any rate," he added on, much more in control.

He sat up and hung his head in shame, still unable to figure out how any of this had happened. He felt like he had good reason to get mad at Mica, or Dad, or really anybody else for it. But he could only summon up enough frustration to be mad at himself.

"Hey," Mica said after a moment, "maybe if things are bit calmer tomorrow, you and me can hang out and watch a mover or something."

Shyu lifted his head. "Really? You think we'll be let out of the house?"

She shrugged. "Wouldn't have to. My folks have their own screening room. Your guards could bring you over. And if your dad's worried about security, you can tell him my mom has a pack of trained eel-hounds guarding the property."

Shyu felt himself smile a little despite himself. Dad was pretty angry now, but tomorrow, who knew? Maybe Dad would be happy Shyu was making an conscience effort to stay out of the way. "Are you sure your parents wouldn't mind?"

"Nah, they won't care. Especially if it's one of their movers. You ever see _Vol-Cats_?"

Shyu shook his head. Mica groaned at this pathetic level of pop culture ignorance, and yet grinned all the same. "You're are up for some good stuff." She went over to the corner and retrieved the snacks he'd gotten for her. "Thanks for the calories. I think I'm technically supposed to be in the guest room, so--"

"Turn left out of my room and go two doors down," Shyu said. "It's decorated with turtle-duck decor. You can't miss it."

She nodded and walked out of the door. Shyu thought he heard his dad snapping again, followed by Mica shouting, "Flames! It's just me! Shyu's trying to sleep!" He smiled to himself as he imagined his dad apologizing. If he had to get bad news, it was a nice change to get it in front of someone who listened.


	15. For The Best

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Iroh watch Tenna stood up as if she expected to answer it, and then sit back down when she apparently remembered this wasn't her house. The sound of a servant's footsteps tapped across the hall to the front door. There was the groan of heavy hinges, then a pleasant exchange of voices before the footsteps made their way back to the sitting room. Two familiar women turned the corner.

"Marah! Nanami!" Iroh exclaimed happily. "I'm so happy to see you both safe!" Iroh rose and hugged his sister, who playfully pinched his cheeks and tussled his hair, reminding him why he didn't hug her that often.

_How is it that she twelve years younger than me and treats me like the family baby?_

He straightened and cleared his throat. "Thank you for bringing her here, Avatar. Chief Mako," he said, with a professional nod and they too stepped into view. "I take it the Fire Sages are also safe?"

Mako opened his mouth to speak, but Marah jumped in ahead of him. "The cops are still getting everyone back to their rooms at the Four Elements. But since you live so far out of the way, this fine, strapping man made sure to personally escort Nanami and I home." She stepped back and patted Mako on the shoulder, an action that he seemed more than a little uncomfortable with. Iroh felt sorry for the guy. When Marah noticed that her teasing bothered someone, her first instinct was to do it all the more.

"I see," Iroh said, narrowing his eyes at her before turning his attention to Korra. "What about you, Avatar? Aren't you staying at the Four Elements, too?"

"Hmm?" Korra said, as if she'd forgotten she was in the room. "Oh, yeah, I am. But I had something I wanted to show you guys first." She reached into the pouch she had slung over her shoulder and pulled out a Mason jar with something glowing inside of it. It almost looked to Iroh like some embers she must have scooped up from a dying fire. But when he got a closer look, he saw it was something like a beetle-wasp, translucent, clearly from the spirit world but looking like it had seen better days.

Korra sat the jar on the table, and Bolin tapped the glass curiously. This resulted in the beetle-wasp rearing up like a snake and hissing at him. Bolin jumped backwards and hid behind his wife.

"So...what is this?" Tenna asked.

"This is the dragon spirit that attacked Republic City tonight," Korra said.

A look a pure confusion passed over everyone's faced, though it did not seemed to bother Korra terribly much. In fact, she almost seemed happy about it.

"It got smaller the more it fought outside the portal," she said. Then it got on my arm for a little bit and I could feel it trying to attach itself like some kind of parasite. I froze it in a block of ice, and it got much more cooperative." She grinned at her own cleverness, but no else seemed to join in the gesture.

"And you're telling us this because...?" Iroh prompted.

Korra shrugged her shoulders. "Well, odds are this only followed the kids out of the spirit portal because it was looking for a host," Korra explained. "So, if you think about it, since I'm the one who ripped open the spirit portal to begin with, that whole disaster of a coronation was actually my fault."

She smiled way too broadly, an expression which died quickly when she realized no one was joining her.

Iroh rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I appreciate that you're concerned about the kids," he said. "But no matter what this thing is, it doesn't excuse their behavior today." He stared over at his sister, who was paying much more attention to her nails than she was to the parasitic spirit in the jar. Iroh inwardly groaned.

"Speaking of which," he forced himself to say, "may I have a private word with you, Marah?"

#

Mica got her own dose of bad news the next morning. In retrospect, Tenna wondered, maybe it would have been better to simply call her down as soon as she and Bolin had spoken with Iroh and his family. But it was late, and Mica had been pretty wiped out from all her bending...

Perhaps it didn't matter. This conversation was destined to end badly no matter what time of day they'd chosen to have it.

"No! That's not fair!" Mica slammed her fist down on the table so hard that Tenna actually heard a few dishes shatter in the adjoining room. "You can't just ship me off like this!"

"It's only for a few months, Mica. Just until things calm down with the press." Bolin, bless him, was doing his best to be assuring. He never did like when they argued. He even held up the morning's newspaper, complete with the worst possible photos of Mica and Shyu, as some strange sort of peace offering--proof that spending time with Princess Marah in the Fire Nation really was the better alternative. If only a newspaper and a few calm words was all it would take.

"Your father's right. It's only temporary," Tenna broke in, voice unwavering even as her daughter blinked back frustrated tears. _If anyone here should be frustrated, it's us._ "And thank the stars for that. After the stunt you pulled, you're lucky we weren't thrown out of the city." She narrowed her eyes. "Where did you even get that contraption, anyway?"

"It's called a _motorcycle_ , Mom. And it's none of your darn business where I got it."

Mica stood, clenching and unclenching her fists. She was itching to blow up something, no doubt. Had the situation not been so serious, Tenna might have indulged her. Heck, she might even have joined Mica on the course. Even Tenna had to admit combusting targets into tiny pieces was excellent stress relief.

But now was not the time. And she certainly wasn't about to give Mica any leeway after a smart alec remark like that. "Sit down, we're not done."

Mica made a dismissive huffing sound and turned to go. Flames help her, she actually started to leave.

Tenna stood, fast as a thunderbolt, and planted both palms on the table, every muscle in her quavering with Fire Nation temper. "I said sit!" She looked her daughter square in the eye. Her voice was low and steely, like the warning growl of a predator. "I will not give another warning."

Mica sat. Tenna could see some of her rage had dissipated and been replaced with apprehension. Mica had good instincts at least. She could always tell when Tenna tapped back into her weapon training. And though Tenna had never gone into detail about her past, her daughter seemed to sense that this version of her mother was not a force to trifle with. Ever.

She was right.

Tenna continued, keeping her voice firm. "I've been more then patient with you, Mica. I've put up with your tantrums and your disrespect. Paid for all your damages. I even let you traipse around with that boy doing flames knows what--in my own house."

Mica's face reddened at that. Tenna could see shock mixed with shame.

 _Shame at being caught, maybe. Not for her choice._ Beside her, Tenna saw Bolin look away in disappointment, which only made Mica blush harder.

Tenna pushed on, heedless of Mica's humiliation. As far as she was concerned, she deserved to be embarrassed.

"I sat by and let you run wild...because I couldn't stand the thought of anyone, including myself, holding you back from experiencing new things. I wanted you to be able to grow and make your own choices--even if they were reckless." Tenna swallowed hard. "I _thought_ you were sensible enough to actually learn from your mistakes. But obviously I was wrong. After what you did—flames, Mica! You could have killed someone!"

Mica's fists clenched. "You think I wanted this to happen? You were the ones who made me go to that stupid coronation. And I never would have gone in the portal if some stupid spirit didn't steal my bike. For crying out loud, Mom, it almost _ate_ me! I had to--"

"No! No more excuses!" Tenna sliced the air with he hand with dramatic force. "It's time you started taking responsibility for your actions!"

Flames, hadn't Izumi given her the exact same lecture once? She'd laugh at the irony if she wasn't so darn angry.

"Now get upstairs and start packing. The ferry to the Fire Nation leaves first thing tomorrow, and you are going to be on it with or without your things."

Mica looked on the verge of crying. And not her fake, actress crying either. These were real tears. It seemed the reality of things was finally sinking in.

"But--I can't--" She looked to her father, a final searching glance hoping for some glimmer of support. "Dad...please. Don't make me do this..."

Bolin didn't budge. Not for this. As much as he hated seeing their daughter so upset, he knew just like Tenna did that if things carried on like they were, Mica was going to get seriously hurt. Or worse.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart...but this is for the best."

He reached over and gripped Tenna's shoulder as if reinforcing his support. She wouldn't lie, she was grateful for that. Having him by her side gave her hope they'd come through this.

Mica clenched her fists, fighting back a sob. "I hate you!" she spat, her voice on the verge of frenzy. "I'm never talking to you ever again!" Then she was gone. Tenna could hear her feet pounding up the stairs, then a door slammed. The kind of slam that left cracks in the wall.

Tenna stayed still for a long while afterwords staring at the palce where her daughter had been a moment ago. Bit by bit her weapon poise dissolved away, leaving her numb.

 _My own daughter hates me._ She tried not to let the words sting. Mica was hot-tempered. She'd come back around, just like she always did. And still, Tenna felt some part deep inside of her ache with sorrow.

Bolin leaned over from behind and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Did we do the right thing?" he asked. He wanted assurance. Wanted her to tell him everything was going to be okay, just like she always did. But as hard as she tried to think of the logical, sensible words that would make everything fine again, Tenna could pry her thoughs away from Mica.

 _I was just trying to be a good mother. What did I do wrong?_ Tenna leaned her head into her hands and shivered. Then to Bolin's surprise and her own she started to cry.


	16. Family Secret

In retrospect, staying with Aunt Marah wasn't the worst punishment that Shyu could think of. In some ways, it had plenty of bonus points with it--no photographers, no annoying servants, and no Kaja. But for some reason, it didn't feel like a victory for Shyu. It felt like a rejection. He needed to be out of the way where he couldn't cause any damage.

That was exactly how Kaja would phrase it, too. Which was why Shyu made a point of packing quietly and deciding that he would leave Mom and Dad to explain where he'd gone off to when Kiki and Kaja started asking. He opened a suitcase and looked around the hotel room. He hadn't brought much, since pretty much everything he could use was provided. Some notebooks, some graphic novels. He shoved them in along with a few legitimately comfortable outfits he hoped he'd be able to wear now that the cameras wouldn't be on his 24/7.

 _How the heck did Dad get Mica's parents to agree to send her off too?_ It wasn't a deep question. Mica's dad and his dad went way back. Even if Shyu didn't know that beforehand, it had been pretty obvious from the way they'd all stood around in the same room, plotting their children's punishment as a collective unit.

Shyu ran his fingers along the notebook's spine as it sat on the pile of stuff that wasn't even taking up half the suitcase. Maybe a few weeks of quiet would be good. His goal was to run for student council president when he went back to his regular school, and there was a lot of planning needed for that sort of thing.

"Yeah," he said, shutting and latching the suitcase. "I've just got to think positively about this thing."

"That's a good attitude," said a voice from the doorway. Shyu yelped with surprise. Then he dropped the suitcase on his toe and yelped again. He looked up to see his grandmother Izumi stepping into his room. She had some sympathy in her eyes for his pain, but unlike his mother, she didn't come over and coddle him, either.

"Sorry for interrupting you," she said simply. "May I sit?"

"Sure," Shyu said. Like he was going to tell the retired Firelord, grandmother or no, that she couldn't sit somewhere. She smiled and picked a plush red seat beside the bed.

"Your father told me your...plans to visit your aunt," she said carefully.

"Yeah," Shyu replied. "It's not so bad." His first instinct was to avoid eye contact, but that felt weird. Grandma Izumi wasn't the one who was kicking him out, after all. "Besides, it'll give me the chance to work on stuff for school," he added.

"Student council?" she asked with a hint a smile. _Geez, that's creepy. How does she do that?_

"Kiki told you?" he guessed. He'd told Mom his goals, too, but Kiki was more of a chatterbox.

Izumi nodded. "I think you'll do a fine job at it."

Shyu smiled at her comment. Maybe some of the guys at school would call it lame, but there was a lot he admired about his grandmother. Of course, she had been Firelord for the past twenty-four years, so that had to count for something.

"Thanks, that means a lot," he said earnestly. Then he forced a bit of a laugh as he tried to nudge the suitcase somewhere less obvious. Like under the bed. "Who knows? Maybe you can give me some leadership tips." He said it as a joke, and not a very good one at that, but she seemed to take it seriously.

"I'll do what I can. What would you like to know?"

Shyu smiled. This was yet another thing he liked about his grandmother. She always seemed to have the time to talk to him.

"Well, for one thing, how do you get people to listen to you when you're not a bender?"

She cocked her head like this was an odd question to ask her but shrugged it off. "Well, let's see. I guess I just learned to speak as if it didn't matter. Like I was just as strong as anyone else was. Though I would be lying if I said that there weren't times I was tempted to show my bending just to prove everyone wrong."

"Show your...bending?" Now it was Shyu's turn to be confused. What would his grandmother talking about? She _was_ a nonbender. It was all over the Fire Nation history books. Probably would be for centuries, even if no one remembered anything else about her reign. As Shyu's face remained stuck in I-am-completely-confused mode, the look on his grandmother's face completely changed. Her eyes widened, her skin went a bit pale, and she had the distinct expression of someone who knew she had (no pun intended) royally messed up.

"Y-your father never told you," she said quietly.

"Never told me what?" Shyu asked. It was a dumb question. The implications were obvious. But why would his grandmother pretend she couldn't bend when she really could? Was she trying to make some sort of statement? Or maybe she was born a nonbender and gained bending later, at Harmonic Convergence? He'd heard something about a bunch of nonbenders getting their abilities then. It was the reason bending abilities were as diverse as they were now. And the reason why there were fewer and fewer true nonbenders in the world.

"Never told you...oh, dear, this is not how I would have planned this," Izumi said. She was shifting in the chair, like she really wanted to get up and pace, but knew how much worse that would make things.

"Okay," Shyu said with frustration. "So you're a firebender after all, right? I can take a hint."

She shook her head. "No, Shyu, I'm not a firebender."

So it was Harmonic Conversation, or whatever that was called. "An airbender, then?"

"No," she said firmly. "It's..." She readjusted her glasses. "Well, it's something your father clearly didn't want you to know runs in our family. But I think you've got the right to know."

"Runs in our family?" Shyu questioned. Burn it, he sounded like a broken record now. "What runs in our family?"

There was a long moment of silence before his grandmother looked him in the eyes more seriously than he had ever seen her and said, "Bloodbending."

Shyu blinked. He must have heard that wrong. "Um, _bloodbending_ runs in our family?" he said.

She nodded. "Yes. Your great-grandfather gained the ability from the Avatar and passed it onto me. Your father was...less than happy when I finally told him."

Shyu decided he could only process so much at once and temporarily pushed away his question about how in flames it was possible for Great-grandfather Zuko to have two bending powers at the same time. "And when did you tell him, Grandmother?"

"When he was forty-one. As I said, he wasn't pleased with me." She lowered her head, one of the few times he'd seen her ashamed of her actions. "I...wasn't pleased with myself. It was the wrong decision." She regained herself and looked him in the eye. "Which is why I'm telling you."

"But...that is..." Shyu felt like his world was falling apart. Every time he felt like his weak bending meant he was never going to make it in the world, he'd always looked to his grandmother as an example, as living proof that you didn't need bending to succeed. If she had one of the most powerful forms of bending known to exist, what did that mean for him?

"Do you think maybe I'm a bloodbender?" he asked hopefully.

"Why wou--no, you're not!" she snapped. The harshness hurt, and she looked like she immediately regretted her words. She stood up from the stool and put her hand on Shyu's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to sound harsh. But it's not a pleasant power to have. It's dangerous, and it frightens people. There's been many times I wish I didn't have it."

"But plenty of times you're glad you did, I'm guessing," Shyu muttered.

She didn't answer. Which was really all the answer he needed. "There were some...conflicts when I was on the throne," she finally said. "I would certainly hope that it is nothing you would ever have to deal with."

Shyu forced a laugh and reached under the bed for the suitcase he'd shoved under there. He wasn't sure what the point of trying to hide it had been in the first place. As if his grandmother didn't know exactly where he was going and why.

"Well, it probably is nothing I'll have to deal with," he said. "Not being the _crown_ prince and all."

"Shyu..." For a moment, he felt bad. She looked genuinely hurt over what had transpired between them. But Shyu was more hurt. He needed someone he could look up right now. And if it wasn't her, then who?

"I gotta get going," he said simply, and walked out the door before she could say anything else.

#

Izumi watched her grandson walk out with a heavy heart. But all that sadness quickly turned to anger. Why would Iroh have told Kaja at such a young age but left Shyu in the dark? It was beyond infuriating. And she planned to tell him so.

She found Iroh in the sitting room. He wasn't alone. Varrick was also there, along with Zhu Li, Bolin, Tenna, and Nanami.

"I need to speak to my son alone," she announced. Mostly, it was aimed at Varrick and Zhu Li, the only two in the group who didn't know her secret. But dismissing just the two of them felt like it would make things all the more awkward.

Varrick straightened up. "Just the person I needed to speak to! You know, Lady Izumi, I was just telling your son here..." he patted Iroh on the back, clearly to Iroh's irritation, "...that you guys have a major image problem."

"Um, yeah," Bolin agreed. "I think we all picked up on that when the angry mob outside threw stuff at us."

Izumi winced at the reminder. She could still hear some of the shouting outside from this room, although it seemed to have calmed down a bit since it began. At least the local police had gotten people to stop banging on the doors.

Varrick seemed shaken by the whole idea that someone could have aimed anything at his oh-so-perfect-suit. He shuddered and mopped his brow. "Nasty stuff," he said, shaking his head. "Nasty stuff indeed. But you, royal family, will be happy to know that I just so happen to specialize in dealing with nasty stuff!"

He extended his arms dramatically. No one looked pleased.

"It's true," Zhu Li chimed in. "He even came back from allegedly kidnapping the president. That's not a simple reputation to improve."

As much as Izumi hated to admit it, this point actually did make her think a bit. They couldn't very well leave things as they were; the country would fall into chaos. Iroh was stroking his chin now, too.

"What...exactly did you have in mind to help re-build the royal family's image?" he asked with a healthy dose of skepticism.

"There's always some degree of anger when the next Firelord steps up," Izumi said. "People hated Zuko for not being Ozai. They hated me for not being my father..." She found her voice trailing off.

"But...?" Varrick prompted her.

Izumi let out a long sigh. "But this seems...different, somehow. I think Iroh has a much larger percentage of the population against him. They don't feel he has any loyalty to the Fire Nation."

"Well, setting up this coronation in the United Republic sure didn't help matters," Varrick said, adjusting his jacket. "But, have no fear. I've got a plan to help get all of you out of this mess." He threw his hands behind his back and started to pace around the drawing room as if he owned the place. "See, here's what I'm thinking. I'm sure General...sorry, _Firelord_ Iroh here has done a lot of good for his country. And so have you. And so has Lord Zuko. But people like to be negative. They don't see the good stuff unless it's shoved in their faces." He had his back to them as he spoke, but turned 180 as he built to his point. "So, we do some face-shoving!"

Izumi raised an eyebrow. "I'm afraid I'm confused."

"It's simple," Varrick explained. "We do a mover. Only instead of basing it around a fictional character, we use it to document all the great stuff the royal family's done over the years. We could call it.. um... erm..." He snapped his fingers, trying to make the idea come, but it was Bolin who spoke next.

"Oo! A docu-movery?"

"Yes!" Varrick shouted, pointing to Bolin. "That's perfect! A docu-movery!"

Izumi stroked her chin. The movers were still a pretty new technology, as far as she was concerned. And there was something in her that felt nervous about relying on something she had so little experience with. Then again, it was the best idea that had been presented so far.

"What exactly would this... docu-movery cover?" she asked.

Varrick grinned like he couldn't be happy that she asked. "Well, we start with Lord Zuko ending the hundred-year war, of course!" he said. "Then we move onto how he passed the throne to you, his obviously talented and beautiful daughter..."

"Remove the flattery."

"It's a mover! It's built on exaggeration!" He threw his arms into the air, all the more dramatically to prove his point. "Next, we would highlight the good stuff of _your_ reign. The battle of Sunport. Iroh was a big hero in that, wasn't he?"

"Iroh and Nanami," Zhu Li corrected, "Actually, dear, if you were to ask the citizens of the Fire Nation, the general consensus is that Iroh was losing the battle until the voidbender freed herself from her captors and rushed in to assist him by disabling the bloodbenders that had taken over the town."

Varrick waved away her comments. "Well, whatever, we'll work around that. What else have we got? Wasn't there some secret underground torture chamber or something you uncovered?"

Tenna shifted uncomfortably. "The combustionbender facility," she said quietly.

Varrick snapped his fingers. "Yeah, that was it!"

Izumi did not like the look on Tenna's face. The poor woman had spent half her life trying to forget the trauma of her past. The last thing she needed was to have it dragged up again. Perhaps this whole docu-movery was a bad idea after all. "The facility was shut down during my reign," she said carefully, "but I'm not sure I can claim full responsibility for that. If it wasn't for the Avatar and her friends..."

"Look, I'm trying to help out here. Quit making my job more difficult." He turned his attention towards Tenna. "Y'know, I think this whole thing will go really well if I can get interviews with some normal, everyday Fire Nation citizens into the mix. I bet you sharing your little story would be perfect."

"Um, no offense, Varrick," Bolin cut in. "But no one in our family is exactly normal."

"Normal in this context meaning 'not royalty'," Varrick clarified. He elbowed Tenna, who flinched at his touch. Her gaze was on the floor, but her expression revealed that her mind was far away. Without much of a reaction from her, Varrick turned his attention to Bolin instead.

"Hey, I'm not saying I won't make this worth your while. Tell you what--I'll pay your family triple what I would pay for a normal interview. How's that?"

"T-triple?" Bolin stuttered. Then he shook his head wildly. "Now, just hang on a second. We're not talking a normal interview here. We're talking the worst parts of Tenna's life being yanked out onto the camera."

"I side with Bolin on this," Izumi cut in. She hadn't destroyed the combustionbender facility just so it could be some good promotion later. She had destroyed it because it was evil. She had failed as a Firelord every day she'd left it standing. There was no way she could ask a victim of her failures to dredge up those horrible memories, no matter what the reason.

"I'd appreciate if the three of you would stop talking about me as if I'm not here," Tenna snapped. She turned an icy glare on her husband first. "Let's have this discussion in private."

Bolin cowered like a hurt puppy and nodded. Then he took his wife by the arm and bowed a quick "good-bye" to everyone in the room before walking out. Varrick shrugged as he watched them leave.

"They don't have it easy, I'll give 'em that," he said. "But I'm sure they'll come around. Now, if we could talk some business contracts--"

"Not. Now." Iroh snapped.

For all his lack of etiquette earlier, even Varrick seemed to know when it was not a good time to test Iroh's patience. He too bowed and left the room with Zhu Li in tow. Finally alone in the room with her son, Izumi attempted to meet his eyes. He did a stupendous job of avoiding her.

"Don't give me that look, Mother," he sighed once everyone else had left. "I haven't forgotten you wanted to talk with me."

_You're certainly right I do <,i>, she thought. She hated to admit, it took her a moment to recall what she had been so infuriated at him about. But with the room empty and her mind clear enough to think again, her fury at her son's foolish decisions came back surprisingly quickly._

_"I had a talk with Shyu," she said. "He was telling me how impressed he was with all I've accomplished. I mean, considering I'm a nonbender."_

_She saw Iroh wince at her words. And rightfully so. But instead of apologizing for his poor judgment, as he so obviously should have done, he gritted his teeth and went on the offensive._

_"And since we're having this conversation, I assume you corrected him on the matter."_

_"Of course I did!" she exclaimed. Why on earth would he think that she would do otherwise? "Iroh, you told Kaja about me when the boy was six years old. How could you keep it a secret from your other two children for so long?"_

_Iroh hung his head at this. Izumi could only think of one reason why. "You...told Kiki as well?"_

_"Kiki's always been nosier than Shyu, you know that," Iroh said. "She started wondering what you and Kaja were always up to at those Honorable Fire meetings or whatever you called them."_

_Izumi removed her glasses and massaged her forehead. "Iroh, that just makes everything worse. Poor Shyu already feels like the family outcast as it is. Why would you widen that distance between you?"_

_"Oh, you think that telling him that famous great-grandfather is arguably the strongest bloodbender of all time would make things better? Shyu needed a family history he could be proud of, Mother. He's got a line of ancestors guilty of genocide."_

_"As do I!" Izumi snapped. "And as do you! Flaming dragons, Iroh, you think that a day went by during my reign that I didn't think about the weight of that crown? About all the blood that had been spilt by its previous wearers?"_

_She shook her head and let out a harsh laugh. "You know, your grandfather told me the day I became Firelord that it wouldn't hit right away. That I would feel strong and confident, like I could take on anything. I can't explain how frustrating it is to watch you do the same thing. You think protecting people means hiding things from them, but you couldn't be more wrong."_

_Iroh's focus wandered away from her again, as if he needed some time to take in the room Then, for the first time since she'd walked into it this evening, Izumi looked around, too. And the first thing that struck her about it was that it wasn't Fire Nation. The walls were an earthy green, the decorations on the shelves an array of silvers, blues, and browns. In fact, the only red in the room came from the paintings of the Royal Family. Izumi suddenly felt like she'd had her head yanked out of the sand. For all her struggles with bloodbending, she'd grown up a classic Fire Nation princess. Iroh had a different life, whether she acknowledged it or not._

_"Shyu's going to worry," he said quietly. "He's always been trying to prove he's got some firebending in him, but it's still only been a little bit of heat that he can produce. He's going to wonder if... if _that_ is to blame."_

__You can say the word "bloodbending"_ , Izumi thought, though she kept it to herself. In truth, it hadn't occurred to her that Shyu might question his own bending. She'd never been able to sense others' bending like her father could. Never really wanted that power. At least, not before now._

_"Then talk with him about his worries instead of acting like they're not there," she said._

_Iroh didn't answer her at first, choosing instead to stare blankly at the floor. Finally, he muttered, "I'll think about it" and ended the conversation with that._


End file.
